Noah Coco '26
Managing Editor
As the warmer temperatures and vexatious allergies herald another spring season, nature’s early bloomers have begun gracing us with tantalizing visual spectacles, tempting us to ditch the books for a walk in the park. Look no further, for example, than the beautiful yellow and white daffodils adorning the hills along Arlington Boulevard in front of the Law School. Journey deeper into the forest, though, and you may find a curious yet aesthetically unremarkable plant amidst your feet. What this plant lacks in ostentation, however, it more than compensates for with delicious flavor. Indeed, it is that time of year when the seasonal ramp plant makes its noble appearance.
Ramps are an edible wild onion plant with a garlicky odor and fresh spring onion flavor. They have a very brief harvesting season—before the edible leaves yield to an unappetizing flower stalk—that typically begins in mid-March in Virginia and lasts only a few weeks. Ramps grow in clusters of bulbs that typically produce two or three flat, smooth, light green, roughly lance-shaped leaves. They grow in forested areas with rich and moist soil, often near rivers or streams. Difficult to cultivate, ramps can instead be found punctuating the wild woodlands throughout much of the Appalachian and Great Lakes regions.
Pictured: Foraged Ramps being pickled
Photo Credit: Micah LeMon, The Alley Light
Ramps are a delicious spring treat for those privileged enough to have procured some. Although they predominantly grow in the wild, you will likely still find them at farmers markets during their harvesting season. But because this window is so brief, it is easy to miss out on them altogether. Enthusiasts may prefer to obtain ramps straight from their source, opting to forage for them in the forest. Unless you are aware of a known patch of wild ramps, finding these spring delicacies is no guarantee. The reward to those who do manage to find a verdant patch of ramps carpeting the forest floor, however, is appropriately satisfying.
With their garlic and onion flavor profiles, ramps can be substituted into most dishes that require either of these grocery store staples, or any of their close relatives. Every part of the plant from leaves, to stalk, to bulb are edible, although it may be the case—especially if you forage your own ramps—that you will only have the leaves to work with.[1] But no matter! The leaves still impart the same fresh flavor, though perhaps less pungent than the bulb.
Among the many uses of ramps, they are often added to pasta sauces or soups, sautéed with eggs or in stir fries, or preserved in pickling jars or ramp butter. One of the most common uses for fresh ramps—and one that I fully endorse—is to make ramp pesto. To date, one of the greatest dishes I ever created was a ramp chimichurri over a strip steak. Nearly unlimited permutations of recipes can incorporate ramps, and I am sure they will all be delicious.
The tragic irony of this versatile and delectable plant, however, is its ruthlessly brief growing season. As quickly as the leaves sprout from their bulbs in the early spring ground, so too will they recede, leaving behind an elegant, leafless flower stalk supporting a flower crucial for next year’s production. There is still time to get ramps for this season, but do not expect them to be around much longer.
For anyone inspired to venture out and forage their own ramps, a few disclaimers are in order. First, as a law student I feel obligated to warn against trespassing on private or otherwise restricted property. This is a hopefully obvious risk that is common to all foraging. Make sure you know where you are foraging and check that you are authorized to be present on that property.
Second, be cautious of ramp look-alikes, many of which are toxic to consume. This, too, is a risk common to all foraging, but thankfully it is relatively easy to mitigate when foraging for ramps. Two look-alikes that are particularly toxic to humans—False Hellebore and Lily of the Valley—grow in similar-looking clusters and sport similarly shaped leaves as ramps. You can distinguish these leaves from ramp plants, though, because they have a distinct pleated pattern, compared with the flat leaf of the ramp plant. If you fail to rule out these other species by this first test, you still have a second chance: simply sniff a cut leaf. A ramp plant will have a pungent onion or garlic smell, whereas these two look-alikes—or any others, for that matter—will not. If you fail both of these sensory tests, maybe consider a different hobby that gets you out into nature—learning bird calls, perhaps.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly as far as my own interests are concerned, don’t ruin ramps for the rest of us. Ramp plants are at risk of overharvesting because of their high demand, short season, and the natural fragility of the plant. Ramp seeds have a ninety-five percent mortality rate and can take seven to ten years to fully mature. Best practice for harvesting is to cut only one of the leaves from the stalk – or two if the plant has three leaves – leaving the remaining leaf and bulb in place to reproduce year-after-year.
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cmz4bx@virginia.edu
[1] More on that below.