Ramps

Ramps (Allium tricoccum), also called wild leeks, are members of the onion family. Native to eastern North America, ramps grow in clumps in the rich, moist soil under deciduous trees—sugar maples, birch, and poplar, among others—from New England south to central Appalachia and as far as North Carolina and Tennessee. One of the first spring greens, growing from perennial bulbs in late March to April, ramps have the flavor of sweet spring onions touched with musk and an intense garlic aroma. They are harvested for their young leaves (which resemble lily of the valley) and their small bulbs. Both may be eaten raw—the leaves, for instance, in salads, though the bulbs are frequently fried in smoky fat with eggs or potatoes.