Mountain State Matters

In honor of the Richwood Ramp Fest (also known as the “Feast of the Ramson), which is happening tomorrow and is thought by many to be the largest festival honoring the wild leek in the state, let’s talk about ramps.

Ramps are wild leeks that are native to the Appalachian mountains and taste like a combination of onions and garlic. According to Ila Hatter, Appalachian naturalist and enthusiast:

Ramps are a pungent member of the allium family, actually our North American Leeks. For those unfamiliar with this native vegetable, they could be considered “industrial strength onions” they are so strong in sulphide compounds. Since it was once believed the family needed a good “spring cleaning” after a sedentary winter eating dried vegetables and salted meat, either sulfur and molasses was taken, or where available, you could eat a “mess o’ ramps” for a tastier alternative. If you do eat them, everybody knows you’ve eaten them, so it became a good idea for the whole community to get together and eat them all at the same time! And that started the fundraising Ramp Festivals for the local Fire Departments.

In Quebec, the ramp is a protected species, and there are regulations stating that it can only be harvested for personal consumption (no more than 200 grams a year) or 50 plants.

There are also concerns about over-harvesting of ramps in the United States. Besides being the guest of honor at numerous ramp dinners and festivals throughout Appalachia, ramps are also turning up as delicacies at restaurants in other parts of the world. In Chicago (which gets its name from the Native American word for ramp) there are numerous fine restaurants at which one can order ramps.

So, how do you eat ramps?

• raw
• with beans and cornbread
• in soups
• in casseroles
• in eggs
• in quiches
• in frittatas
• in onion pudding

The most traditional way to eat ramps is fried. “I fry ‘em up in bacon fat!” said Harvey Cohen, a ramp lover from Gap Mills, WV

Others try less traditional approaches.

Emily Chittenden, ramp aficionado of Lewisburg, WV, has made ramp pizza and ramp quiche. “I sautée them with stuff,” she said. “Anything you normally put onion and garlic in, you put ramps in.”

Just be careful: they’re even more pungent than onions. Appalachian Highways advises:

Handy fact to know ahead of time: Ramps not only give you breath like the plague, their scintillating aroma also leaves the body by way of the skin. Ergo, you will literally reek like a leek.

Photo: Dano272

There are some awesome photos of Appalachia up on Flickr, in a group called “My Appalachia.” It was started by John Kerns, who runs the blog Hillbilly Savants. Check it out and submit some photos!