Ramps Through the Ages: A Brief History of America's Most Beloved Wild Green
Long before Ramps showed up on trendy restaurant menus, they were feeding, healing, and defining communities across North America. Here's the story:
🌿 Pre-Contact Era — Indigenous Roots
Native nations across eastern North America — Cherokee, Iroquois, Ojibwe, Menominee, and others — harvested Ramps each spring as a critical food source and medicinal plant. Used as a tonic after long winters, a treatment for colds and infections, and a natural insect repellent, Ramps were woven into the fabric of spring survival for centuries.
🛶 1600s–1700s — Settlers Learn from Indigenous Peoples
European settlers discovered Ramps through Indigenous communities. The name “Ramp” likely derives from “ramson” — the British name for a similar wild garlic native to Europe — adapted as settlers recognized a familiar plant in a new land.
🏙️ 1830s — Chicago Is Named After the Ramp
One of the most remarkable footnotes in American food history: Chicago takes its name from the Native American word shikaakwa. “Checagoua” is the French rendering of the Miami-Illinois word for the Ramp — the plant grew so abundantly along the lakeshore that the entire region was named after it.
🏔️ Late 1800s — Appalachia Claims the Ramp
Appalachian communities cement Ramps as a spring staple and cultural tradition. Ramp suppers and community gatherings become annual rituals across West Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina — a tradition that continues to this day.
🍴 1930s — The Festival Era Begins
Formal Ramp festivals begin appearing across Appalachia. The Feast of the Ramson in Richwood, WV — one of the oldest — draws thousands annually and remains a beloved regional institution.
📰 1950s–1980s — A Well-Kept Regional Secret
Ramps remain deeply loved in Appalachia and virtually unknown everywhere else. A regional treasure hiding in plain sight.
👨🍳 1990s–2000s — Fine Dining Discovers Ramps
Chefs begin featuring Ramps on menus in New York and other cities, triggering the first wave of mainstream interest. What Appalachia had known for generations suddenly becomes a culinary revelation.
📱 2010s — Ramp Season Becomes a Cultural Moment
Social media turns the arrival of Ramps into an annual event. Food media goes wild every spring. Ramps become shorthand for “serious food person.”
🌿 Today — Tradition Meets Demand
Ramps are both a beloved regional tradition and a coveted seasonal ingredient. The window is still just 3–6 weeks. Some things don’t change.
A Few Things Worth Knowing About Ramps
🍃 They taste like garlic and onion’s wilder cousin. Ramps are part of the allium family — same as garlic and onions — but with a flavor that’s more complex, garlicky, oniony, and unmistakably spring.
🍽️ The whole plant is edible. Bulb, stem, and leaf — each with a slightly different intensity. The leaves tend to be milder; the bulb punchier and spicy.
Fresh Ramps are available now alongside Fiddleheads and Morels — three ingredients that were made for the same plate. DM us to reserve yours before they’re gone. Or shop all our gourmet mushrooms.
Keep an eye on The Mushroom Journal this week — recipes and more Ramp content coming soon.