It’s the Most Obsessed-Over Vegetable in America. You’re Probably Looking For It. You Might Help Kill It All.
Ramps, a wild garlic species, are experiencing a surge in popularity, leading to illegal harvesting practices. This poaching threatens their delicate ecosystems and long-term survival. As demand rises, the balance between foraging and sustainability becomes increasingly precarious.
- ▪Ramps take seven to ten years to mature from seed, making them difficult to cultivate commercially.
- ▪Last spring, a large-scale poaching operation in Nantahala National Forest resulted in the confiscation of 425 pounds of illegally harvested ramps.
- ▪The growing culinary demand for ramps has turned foraging into a criminal enterprise, raising concerns about their sustainability.
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Food Off Ramp The most obsessed-over vegetable in America is fueling voracious demand and a criminal underworld. Will it live to see another spring? By Danny Palumbo May 31, 20265:40 AM Illustration by Slate Copy Link Share Share Comment Copy Link Share Share Comment You never forget your first time foraging for ramps. For me, it was back home in rural western Pennsylvania. My cousin Andy—my initiator into the mysteries of the coveted wild garlic, or “wild leeks,” as they’re sometimes called—drove us down a winding back road enveloped in a lush canopy of trees. Reaching his coordinates, which happened to be on public land, he parked just off the side and threw on his hazards.
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