Just got back from the Cherokee Reservation here in North Cackalacky where I was working as a videographer for an upcoming documentary that will air on UNC-TV at some as yet undetermined later date. It was a long drive, but overall a pretty fun trip, as we got to go and shoot Ramp it Up!, an annual festival on the reservation where everyone gets together and enjoys the time honored tradition of eating the wild leeks known as Ramps. Now, you may not be familiar with Ramps and if you aren’t, well, you’re not alone. Quite frankly, I’d never heard of them before getting contacted about this shoot. Ramps are kind of a cross between garlic and green onions. They look like green onions or leeks, and they are prepared simply by sauteeing them in a bit of butter in garlic. But there’s a catch.
You see…ramps have a very strong smell when they are raw, that is absolutely awful. And they have a reputation of leaving that smell on anyone that consumes them. No really, I’m serious. Now, before we got to the festival we got a heads up on this phenomenon. We did a quick shoot in the morning at a local Kidney Dialysis Center, and as we were talking to people and telling them that we were headed to the festival…one by one they warned us to stay away from the ramps. In fact, we got so scared by it that after we were done shooting and the people running the festival offered us plates, we only managed to eat small bites as we didn’t want to have to be stuck smelling each other all the way home. And just in case you think I’m paranoid, let me add a little side story to this. The producer of this project, apparently loves Ramps and so she asked us to bring some back, since she couldn’t make it on the shoot. Her assistant told the organizer’s of the festival about the request, and they were happy to oblige, with a giant bag of ramps. And my word, did they smell, almost like a porta-potty. So the assistant wrapped them up in two garbage bags before sticking them in the back of her trunk on the ride home. 3 hours later we had to stop for gas. We got out of the car, and as we walked around past the trunk the stench of ramp just smacked us in the face. Seriously, people weren’t kidding. Two sealed trash bags and a closed trunk weren’t enough to contain the stench of raw ramp. If you ever find yourself wanting to experience the pungent scent for yourself, the Cherokee hold the festival every year in March. Check it out at: http://www.cherokee-nc.com/