Stocking the Wild Asparagus

White asparagus, fiddlehead ferns and wild ramps are all sure signs of spring--somewhere in the world. There’s just one problem--in our part of the world, they are difficult to find. At least they used to be, until Aux Delices des Bois. The company, whose name means Delicacies of the Woods, has made a business out of distributing the newest greens and the most exotic mushrooms.

Every evening, mushrooms and produce arrive at the company’s Tribeca warehouse. By dawn, the porcini have been picked over, the best cepes selected, the black trumpets trimmed. By lunchtime, the forest fungi are being served in some of New York’s best restaurants.

The company, which has fungus hunters and foragers combing the woods throughout Europe and North America, also sells its seasonal products by mail. At this time of year, business is, well, mushrooming.

White asparagus ($10 a pound), fiddlehead ferns ($8 a pound) and ramps ($10 a pound) are currently available by overnight mail. Cultivated exotics, seasonal wild and dried mushrooms are always available. In the right season, the company also sells sea beans, Cavaillon melons and pea shoots. Just phone for availability and price. Think of it as a call for the wild.

Delices des Bois 4 Leonard St. New York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 334-1230 Visa, MasterCard