My wife and I could not believe the amazing taste of a wild ramp the first time we tried them. We thought, “this is a perfect blend of onion and garlic flavors, it grows in the mountains in West Virginia, why had we not eaten these before?”. Neither her nor I had ever tasted this naturally growing, Appalachian legend until we visited the annual Ramp Festival in Elkins, WV many years ago. We had always heard about ramps from friends and neighbors and had seen them for sale on the roadsides during the Springtime. But we had not actually a ramp before this festival. At the time, did not know what we were missing out on but after this first encounter with the wild ramp we quickly became huge fans. We immediately (the same day!) went to my family farm to search for ramps and we were excited to see there were a few nice patches present.
This began our new tradition of traveling around West Virginia looking for ramps in the hills and hollows of our friends and family’s land. This hobby has now extended to our expanded family as we have welcomed our children into this foraging circle. Getting outside and into the mountains has been a staple activity for our family on weekends and during nice weather days. Learning about various species and plants has made our outdoor getaways into much more insightful excursions that have inspired new ideas for products and potential markets.
The wild ramp ignited our passion for Appalachian ingredients, but it has quickly expanded to other roots, plants, and traditional foods found in our region. Uncovering and learning about these incredibly unique products has led our family to visit some amazingly remote and beautiful locations throughout our state. It has also created a much greater appreciation of Appalachian culture and cuisine. These experiences have inspired us to start WV Harvest to showcase the delicacies of Appalachia for the world to see. We are constantly looking for ingredients and foods that are rooted in our region to bring to you and your families.
