Ramps, allium tricoccum, are wild leeks. Thriving throughout
the Appalachian range in rich, dark woodlands near mountain streams,
ramps are among the first edible foods to appear in the early spring,
when they pierce the gray and brown leaf mold with a spire of tightly
furled, onion-scented leaves. Throughout the Appalachian South, ramps
are hailed with feasting at ramp suppers and festivals. The most famous
of these community fundraisers include the Ramp Festival at Cosby, Tenn.,
and the Feast of the Ramson in Richwood, W. Va., home of the National
Ramp Association.
Ramps are the stuff of lore. An aphorism says, "Ramps are not
for ladies or those who court them," and in "The
Easter Onion," a poem by Johnny Russell, the ramp season is
romantically remembered. Here is the first stanza: "Years gone
by, still they gather/Tribute to a heritage, gloried past/Easter onions,
in Appalachia called ramps/Family, friends, people from far and wide."