Popularity of wild leeks is ramping up. Where to find them in central PA

My first introduction to ramps was 25 years ago, when Tom Douthit Jr. brought some into the Foods Lab on campus where we worked. I was smitten. He took me to his parent’s home near Centre Hall so I could interview his father, Tom Douthit Sr. Every spring I remember his account with a smile.

“They come out during trout season and were our ticket, 50 years ago when I was in high school, to getting a couple of extra days of fishing time in. You ate the leeks, about three dozen of them, and the next day the teacher sent you home from school because you smelled so bad.” Douthit recalls eating sandwiches of the fresh bulbs, and also sautéing the bulbs in a little butter until they are translucent to make them milder.

How ingenious, those boys on the riverbank, eating ramp sandwiches and reeking. Ah, spring!

Back then, ramps, or wild leeks, were known to the locals who had a family history with the plant. They were an under-the-radar treat you had to find on your own and gather and prepare in the time-honored ways that were a part of your culture.

Things are very different today. Ramps are touted on social media, cooked by Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart; they are the spring darling of the adventurous foodie. They are now mainstream and central Pennsylvania has a champion who is leading the charge on making ramps more available for more enthusiasts.

Eric Burkhart is a teaching professor in Penn State’s department of ecosystem science and management, a branch of the College of Agricultural Sciences. Burkhart teaches undergraduate courses, oversees a research lab, and contributes to Outreach/Extension by offering free webinars to the public. If you want to learn about ramps, check out a Penn State Extension article or tune in to one of the webinars offered through the Extension service. The most recent one from this month can be found on the PSU Extension site.

Ramps are the first of the spring ephemerals to appear in the woods. Morels typically come a bit later, in May, though that fruiting time depends on the weather.

Wild leeks, or ramps as they are called in many parts of southern Appalachia, are a member of the wild onion family and are known officially as Allium tricoccum. Euell Gibbons, in his classic field guide “Stalking the Wild Asparagus,” a bible for would-be foragers, considers “wild leek bulbs the sweetest and the best of the wild onions.”

Ramps prefer dense, rich, moist woods, especially sugar maple groves, and range from New England to North Carolina, west to Minnesota and Iowa. They were traditionally found under white ash, but the Emerald Ash Borer has decimated that tree species.

Our region in central Pennsylvania is subject to a lot of development that has infringed upon former habitat, but they can be found in the right places by the careful woods sleuth.

Citing the impact of development, Burkhart said the new Weis store on the Benner Pike near Fisherman’s Paradise was once a productive ramp habitat. They are extremely popular in the southern Appalachians, where annual ramp festivals in West Virginia draw large crowds of celebrants. I once attended the Mason-Dixon Historical Ramp Festival and it was a memorable affair. Ohio has a fair share of ramp festivals as well, since ramps are found growing in 54 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

The first of the early edible plants of the new growing season, ramps were eagerly awaited by native Americans whose bland winter diet of meats, nuts, dried beans, and dried fruits lacked variety and color. They were regarded as a spring tonic and were consumed in large quantities to purify the blood.

Today’s medical research on the Allium family supports this folk belief. A good source of vitamin C, a nutrient often lacking in winter diets that do not have the benefit of modern transportation systems and Florida citrus, all members of the onion and garlic family are nutritional powerhouses. The entire genus is linked to allyl sulfides that increase the production of glutathione S-transferase, making carcinogens easier to excrete. In addition, other allium compounds may help to decrease the reproduction of tumor cells, and the family of plants is currently being researched to examine their cancer-fighting properties.

Burkhart says that commercial interest in ramps has been building for the last 10 to 15 years thanks to social influencers and media broadcasting. His job at Penn State in Forest Farming is to encourage “responsible foraging” that aims to protect this fragile resource.

According to Burkhart, people engage in foraging to maintain a family tradition, for food, and to enjoy the recreational aspects of gathering in the wild. If you have ever gone after ramps, you know these are not something you stroll and pick. You need to dig them out with a tool that reaches below their tenacious roots. And you need to be careful not to over-harvest to maintain the colony. It’s a lot of work.

Ramps reproduce by clonal division of the bulb and also by going to seed. You can collect the seeds in late summer/early fall, though they are difficult to grow from seed and take about five years to reach maturity. Domesticated alliums, like garlic and onions, grow much faster.

Look for ramps in the woods but be careful not to confuse the plant with look-alikes that are poisonous — false hellebore and lily-of-the-valley. Crush a leaf to ensure you have the right plant; it should have a powerful aroma of garlic and onion.

During the short season, which lasts 4 to 8 weeks, ramps can be found at local farmers markets (sometimes) and even at Wegmans. If you want to try them, area restaurants will feature them while they are available. Ramp-flavored dishes will be on the menu at Pine Grove Hall, Elk Creek Café, ReFarm and Revival Kitchen.

Look for them this spring, and remember — it’s chic to reek!

Here’s a recipe that makes good use of your treasure.

Wild Leek and Smoked Trout Chowder

Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon butter
• One half cup chopped wild leek bulbs, about 5 or 6 (can substitute scallion or onion)
• 4 cups diced red-skinned new potatoes
• 1 quart water
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 side of smoked trout, boned and flaked
• one half cup cream or half and half
• salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Garnishes: chopped chives, homemade croutons, violet blossoms

Melt butter and sauté leeks until they are transparent. Add potatoes, water, and salt, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and just starting to fall apart. Add the smoked trout and the cream and simmer for five minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Garnish with chives, croutons and violets at serving time.