Sunday, May 3 marks the 55th Cosby Ramp Festival, which hails as Tennessee’s Oldest Festival. Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains (about 3.5 hours from Nashville) is the small town of Cosby, Tennessee (known among my husband’s college buddies as the place you went to buy “Moonshine”).

Cosby is a small town of approximately 7600 where springtime was traditionally heralded with the harvesting of wild leeks known as Ramps. Back in 1954, the first “Ramp Festival” was held to call attention to Cocke County, whose residents thought they had largely been overlooked by tourists to the “Great Smokey Mountain National Park”. The festival was planned as a “gimmick” to draw tourists, and drew a whopping 6000 in attendance its first year!

The Ramp, is a wild plant, which resembles a leek, and has a pungent odor of garlic and onion. Locals who after eating very little “greens” during the long hard winter, would prepare a feast when the green tops sprouted from the earth and the Ramps could be harvested. School children, it is told were actually sent home for a few days because of “ramp odor”.

“Ramp Odor” or not, this is a “not to be missed ” opportunity to enjoy a multitude of dishes prepared with ramps. Traditionally served raw or stewed, the ramp was know for its “spring tonic” medicinal effect “back in the day”. Interestingly, it does have the same cholesterol fighting benefits of its cousin, garlic, and is high in both Vitamins A and C.

The festival promises to be a “hum dinger” as we say, featuring two stages showcasing Bluegrass and Country music, Appalachian crafts, festival food and much more.For directions and more info visit their web site: www.cosbyrampfestival.org

If you make it, try to get a photo with the 2009 Ramp Maid.

Hope to see you there!

Posted By: Dawne Davis

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