BUCKHANNON – Here in West Virginia, we boast more than just the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall. We also celebrate a season early in April called ramp season – and it has our residents out clamoring to dig and gather the ‘stinky’ greens.
Many community organizations and nonprofits cook up ramps and host ramp dinners as a springtime way to balance the budget – like the Upshur County Public Library – but what exactly is a ‘ramp’?
According to Epicurious, ramps are a wild plant that is among the first green sprouts to pop out of the ground in the spring, and while they are related to leeks and shallots, they are prized for their unique flavor and are more pungent than both of those. They describe the taste of a ramp as ‘sweeter than a leek with a strong pungency found in garlic.’