Despite the late-arriving spring (or extended winter) in Appalachia, ramps have started to pop through the ground in western Maryland and West Virginia. The pungent spring onion grows wild in the region and, once harvested, becomes the centerpiece of annual church suppers and festivals.Dan and his foodie guests, John Shields and Henry Hong, speak with Maryland park ranger Caroline Blizzard about the annual ramps cook-off being held at Deep Creek Lake on April 28.John Shields offers a recipe for pickled ramps.Henry Hong tried growing them and wrote this essay about ramps for the City Paper in 2011.(Photo courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources)Links:http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-05-07/news/0305060051_1_ramp-wild-leek-cook-offhttps://wvexplorer.com/recreation/agritourism/ramp-dinners-festivals/http://www.discoverycenterdcl.com/ramp-cookoff/http://www.citypaper.com/bcp-cms-1-1137701-migrated-story-cp-20110427-eatme-20110427-story.htmlhttp://www.trbas.com/media/media/acrobat/2018-04/69859252114000-20044313.pdf