As spring wakes from its hibernation and takes root over winter’s chilled caress, birds stretch their wings as the days warm, and nights become less chilly, all while ramps breakthrough their foliage-covered home.
Traditions are one of many things coming into action as the green leaves of ramps, also known as wild leeks, peak through in bundles of four to five plants littering the timbered hillsides of West Virginia. These plants, cousins to the Lily family, are edible and found in the wild and often described as a flavor between onion and garlic. Early foragers can find ramps breaking earth as early as March, and they typically disappear by late May.
Like onions and garlic, as the ramp’s bulb increases in size, it often becomes spicier as it gets older. The older the ramp is, the more pungent the scent, which increases the flavor in dishes. The cleaning process is quick as the external translucent casing around the bulb easily slides off and presents a clean product. It is essential to keep the ramp in the dirt-covered casing until you want to prepare it, as it helps prolong the plant’s integrity.
Throughout West Virginia, the annual outing of digging, cleaning, and cooking ramps goes back generations. If digging in the dirt doesn’t sound ideal, there’s still hope—festivals and dinners (“feeds”) annually celebrate the white-bulbed, green-leafed, ever-fragrant Appalachian treasure. Also, it is common to find ramps for sale on the side of the road that have been picked and cleaned for easy access.
Unfortunately, the annual Ramp Festival in Elkins, West Virginia, is canceled for 2021; however, there is hope to experience the ramp in its versatile form. Many local eateries create their annual signature dishes with ramps. For instance, El Gran Sabor has ramp cachapas, Beander’s has ramp dip, Bar One uses a ramp sauce, and Middle Mountain Archery has a ramp burger, to name a few places and dishes that celebrate the wild delicacy.
If you cannot make it back for the festivals or feeds, don’t fret! It is not uncommon nor difficult to transplant the ramps from one place to another. Many West Virginians who live out of state find a way to have a bit of home wherever they go, and this is just one of many ways to keep the Mountain State a bit closer. For example, one way to do this is a bit wild (pun intended), but now the ability to buy ramps and ramp seeds on Amazon has arisen. Never in my years would I have thought ramps would be for sale on the world wide web. All you have to do is type “ramp seeds” into the search bar, and the lovely plant will fill the screen.
Regardless of how you get the ramps, the collection of recipes used with ramps is as traditional as the plant’s gathering. If you ask a West Virginian who enjoys ramps what their favorite ramp dish to prepare is, they will have a ready answer. From fried potatoes to pickled ramps, the options are endless, as they go perfectly with any dish that calls for onions or garlic. So, it begs the question, what is your favorite ramp dish? Leave a comment below and share your recipes and experiences with ramps!
Written by: Jess Varian
Bio: Jess Varian is a West Virginian born and raised in a holler of Dolly Sods in Randolph County. Though being a Psychology and English (writing concentration) major at Davis & Elkins doesn’t leave much free time, when the opportunity arises, she enjoys reading, writing, cooking, photography, and nature in all of its varieties.
My wife grew up in southern West Virginia and loves ramps. She told me kids would get sent home from school after eating ramps because the smell would come out their pores.