CHARLESTON, W.VA. – In the Appalachian Mountains, one of the most certain signs of spring is onions. We’re not referring to the typical scallions one might find in the supermarket’s produce section, but ramps, a wild leek that favors the moist, rich soil found underneath the cover of thick deciduous trees in the hills.
Few places celebrate the short-lived harvest (they’re only good for picking in the early days of spring) of the ramp more fervidly than the small towns of West Virginia, where pungent odors of frying greens mark the arrival of spring. In a handful of communities, residents and visitors gather at volunteer fire department garages and church fellowship halls for annual ramp festivals, where the leafy greens are fried with potatoes, blended with eggs, tossed in stews and even accompany chili.
It’s a true small town gathering but in recent years, outsiders have come to love the particularly strong flavor of the ramp -- “a scallion on steroids” – and the festivals that celebrate their harvest. They say the smell can stick with you for a few days, but it’s worth it just to enjoy the flavor available only a short time each year. Some are proud of the smell, and wear it like a badge of honor two or three days after a hefty ramp meal.
Ramps grow wild in the mountains of West Virginia and reach their ideal height of 10-12 inches by mid-April. Most of Ramp festivals and dinners take place in late-April.
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Steeped in the Appalachian tradition of living and healing off the land, locals suggest ramps possess strong healing properties. In the mountains, though, ramps aren’t particularly combined with a light, healthy diet. A typical West Virginia feast would include fried ramps, brown beans, potatoes, ham and cornbread and a good dollop or two of bacon grease for flavor.
If you’re not a fan of bacon-fried ramps, don’t fret about missing out on the traditional feast. The festivals feature competitions that challenge local wannabe chefs and regional culinary artists to come up with all kinds of ways to prepare the smelly leek, from raw and chocolate-covered to boiled and breaded.
One of the most famous ramp festivals in the country is the annual “Feast of the Ramson,” which draws more than 1,200 people to Richwood, the self-proclaimed ramp capital of the world. The Feast of the Ramson dates to 1937 (actual ramp feeds in this area can be traced back more than 150 years ago) and today is sponsored by the Richwood Chamber of Commerce.
In fact, a storied newspaper editor in this tiny, heavily forested town (hence the name) once mixed ramp juice with the ink for a special edition of the paper. Supposedly, the odor was so strong and offensive that the post office threatened to never deliver the papers again.
Another major event is the International Ramp Cook-off and Festival in Elkins, which features cash prizes for cook-off winners, along with taste-testing, live entertainment, crafts, ramp dish vendors and the traditional ramp dinner. Nestled way off the highway in Randolph County is the Swiss town of Helvetia, where for $10 you can enjoy the annual ramp supper and small-town flavor unlike anything this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Or just a little north of Charleston, the friendly folks of Clay County sponsor the annual Ramp Dinner at Clay County High School.
If it’s April in West Virginia, there’s a ramp festival around the corner. The West Virginia Division of Tourism maintains a list of ramp celebrations at its call center, 1-800-CALL WVA and on its web site, www.callwva.com. Travel counselors at that hotline can offer directions, but if you do get lost, it’s easy to find your way to a ramp dinner even it is deep in the West Virginia hills.
Just follow your nose!
More information is available by calling Division of Tourism’s toll-free hotline, 1-800-CALL WVA. Callers also can request a free travel guide, calendar of events and other information through the number or the Division’s web site, www.callwva.com.
