Backroads: Wild Ramp Season

Ramps or wild leeks, are one of the earliest wild edibles to emerge in the spring. They are a type of wild onion with a garlicky/onion flavor that some find overwhelming. But for those enthusiasts who love the strong taste, they are the holy grail of all the wild edibles the woods have to offer.

I was first introduced to this delicacy in the early 1990s by Maynard Patterson, a neighboring Sherando resident who had been gathering the spring “onion” for many years. While visiting Maynard, he served me some of his homemade tomato juice that had a definite tang that I couldn’t identify. He told me the white bulbs at the bottom of the canning jar weren’t garlic cloves but ramps. When I admitted I didn’t know what they were or how they grew, Maynard offered to take me and girlfriend Rebecca Garris to West Virginia and let us try our hand at digging them. Armed with trowels, sharp knives and a picnic lunch, we drove to our neighboring state one April morning where Maynard showed us where to look and how to carefully dig around each plant and loosen the soil so the bulb would not break off below ground. We came home successful and I made my own tomato juice flavored with the garlicky ramps as well as slicing them up in scrambled eggs and chili. Ramps, added to any dish in which plain onions are used, add a different twist on taste, but one needs to be respectful of others since the aroma of ramps tends to stay on the breath of the eater for quite a while!

Ramps are popular because their distinctive flavor can’t be matched by anything commercially cultivated and they are only available for a short window in spring. In early Appalachia, they were considered a spring tonic and cabin-bound settlers looked forward to harvesting one of the first vegetables to be eaten after a long, hungry winter.

Ramps grow in eastern North America from Georgia to Canada. Alliuym tricoccum, or red-stemmed ramps have wider leaves and a stronger flavor than the white-stemmed, narrow-leafed white ramps. These leaves appear from March to April and last until the middle of May or early June. They prefer damp soil and grow underneath dense deciduous forest canopy such as oak trees. Do not pick Lily of the Valley or False hellebore by mistake as they can be toxic. Just make sure the plants smell like onion or garlic or, if not sure, go with a knowledgeable forager who knows the difference.

Unfortunately for ramps, they are now super-trendy with chefs, foodies, and other ramp-lovers, taking a toll on populations. Traditionally, the Cherokee dug, and still dig, ramps by leaving the roots intact. This is done by cutting off the bulb bottom with a knife while it’s still in the ground. The most sustainable way to harvest is to cut only one of the leaves on the plant, which many say are packed with more flavor than the bulbs. If harvesting the whole plant, use a knife that is very sharp with a blade at least three or four inches long so you can easily reach the root without disturbing the soil. As with any wild food, just take what you need for personal use and leave the rest to grow for another year. 

Ramps grow very slowly, and it takes around seven years for a ramp to reach seed-bearing age, so it doesn’t want to give it up easily. The plants are well-rooted, making it part of the plant’s defense mechanism against humans or other animal predators. Pulling or tugging almost always breaks the bulb off at the soil line and that’s why a sharp trowel or knife is needed to dig the bulbs out.

Ramp bulbs and leaves can be diced and used just as you would use onions, leeks, chives and garlic, but they are much more potent. They can be paired with pasta, salads, eggs, potatoes and meats with great success.

This spring, why not give ramp hunting a try. Find someone who knows where a large patch may be growing before the later varieties of flowers and plants start to green up. You’ll be rewarded with an enjoyable spring day in the woods and if lucky, a delectable treat to bring home.