ramps
Wild mountain onions with a strong garlic bite, dug in early spring.
Also called wild leeks, wild onions, ramsons.
Updated September 24, 2026
ramps pronunciation
/RAMPS/
Meaning
Ramps are wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) that poke up in Appalachian woods before much else greens out. They smell like onion crossed with garlic and will perfume a whole kitchen. Mountain folks fry them with eggs and taters, eat them raw, and throw festivals around the harvest. Glossary seed says wild onions, and that is close enough for porch talk.
How folks use it
- “Daddy went up the hollow digging ramps before breakfast.”
- “That whole truck smelled like ramps after we hauled a sack home.”
Origin and etymology
English speakers borrowed and shortened older names for the wild leek; Cherokee and other Native peoples gathered them long before settlers. In Appalachia the short name ramps stuck hard. Towns from Cosby, Tennessee, to Richwood, West Virginia, still hold ramp feeds each spring.
Frequently asked questions
Are ramps the same as green onions from the store?
No. Ramps are wild forest leeks with a stronger garlic-onion punch and a short spring season.