The last time I led a foraging trip with ramsons (ramsløk), Allium ursinum, as the main focus was in 2014 on the island Hvaler in south eastern Norway near the Swedish border. This was at the time the ramsons-pesto trend was really taking off and major gourmet restaurants were paying good money for the leaves. I was shocked to see that a large area had been indiscriminately cut to the ground and I suspected commercial harvest. Since that time similar reports have come in, even from nature reserves which is illegal and there have been declines in the wild stands of this plant. In my area I heard of a chef in Trondheim bragging of big hauls of ramsons in locations at the very north of the plant’s range and at location the plants had almost disappeared. Similarly, a concerned friend showed me pictures of commercial harvesting in a nature reserve in the neighbouring county of Møre og Romsdal.
Well known botany professor Klaus Høiland was also alarmed by developments and published a list of ten common sense rules (ramsløkvettreglene) when harvesting this plant from the wild. This was published in KVANN’s (Norwegian Seed Savers) newsletter and we asked people rather to grow in their gardens and to share seed and plants to fellow members. A similar development happened in North America with a similar looking Allium species ramps, Allium tricoccum, where local populations have been overharvested and cultivation has started to compensate on Native American lands (unlike ramsons, bulbs are collected in North America).
Ramsløkvettreglene are repeated below (in Norwegian). I would now include Nordmøre and areas close to Bergen and Stavanger as areas where only small amounts should be harvested.
Jakta på ramsløken er i gang!
Men viss du plukkar i eit verneområde kan det vera forbode.
Well known botany professor Klaus Høiland was also alarmed by developments and published a list of ten common sense rules (ramsløkvettreglene) when harvesting this plant from the wild. This was published in KVANN’s (Norwegian Seed Savers) newsletter and we asked people rather to grow in their gardens and to share seed and plants to fellow members. A similar development happened in North America with a similar looking Allium species ramps, Allium tricoccum, where local populations have been overharvested and cultivation has started to compensate on Native American lands (unlike ramsons, bulbs are collected in North America).
Ramsløkvettreglene are repeated below (in Norwegian). I would now include Nordmøre and areas close to Bergen and Stavanger as areas where only small amounts should be harvested.
Jakta på ramsløken er i gang!
Men viss du plukkar i eit verneområde kan det vera forbode. Den kjente professor og sopp- og nyttevekstspesialist Klaus Høiland har laget disse “ramsløkvettreglene”:
1) Plukk ramsløk greit på Vestlandet, Sørvestlandet og Sørlandet. Der er det rikelig av den.2) Plukker du på Østlandet, Nordvestlandet og i Trøndelag og nordover, la små bestander stå i fred, og vær forsiktig – ramsløk er ikke vanlig i øst, nordvest og nordover.3) Se etter at det ikke er fredet. Står det fredningsskilt er det forbudt å plukke ramsløk, som alle andre planter og trær i fredningsområdet. Sjekk uansett om det er fredet, hvor enn du har tenkt å plukke.4) Respekter innmark, og spesielt mark rundt hus. Noen kan ha plantet ramsløk der, den kan du ikke plukke. Spør alltid grunneier om lov om du vil plukke nær hus.5) La det alltid stå noen planter igjen, sjøl om du plukker i ei rik li med ramsløk på Vestlandet.6) Ikke dra opp plantene med løk og rot. Det er bladene som smaker.7) Er det andre som allerede plukker der, finn et annet sted. Da begrenses også beskatningen på området.8) Ikke plukk mer enn du trenger.9) Trå forsiktig, ramsløk vokser ofte i slitesvak skogbunn.10) Lær forskjellen på ramsløk og liljekonvall