I've heard about ramps ever since we moved to Asheville in the mid-80s but today was the first time I've ever actually seen them. Whole Foods has a bin of local ramps! I grabbed a bunch of them to paint, and tomorrow morning I'm going to scramble some eggs with bacon and ramps. They have lily-like leaves, which makes sense since they're in the amaryllis family.
I have a friend who finds them in some woods nearby but won't divulge the exact location. Ramp festivals are popular in towns in the areas where they grow. One interesting fact I found is that the city of Chicago was named for a dense patch of ramps that grew in the marshy land near Lake Michigon. The native people called them shikaakwa.
The Ramp Festival at Cosby, TN, chooses a Maid of Ramps.
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