The Wild Onion Season is in Full Swing

As winter fades to spring, the hunt for wild onions begins in the United States and Canada. Known by various names such as leeks, ramps, and spring onions, these members of the allium family are a sought-after delicacy for their strong garlicky odor and sweet onion flavor.

In the Appalachian Mountains, ramps are a popular wild onion variety that is celebrated during annual ramps festivals throughout the eastern United States. These festivals mark the arrival of spring and the opportunity to enjoy fresh greens after a long winter.

In Oklahoma, wild onion dinners are a longstanding tradition among Indigenous communities. Cherokee chef Bradley James Dry forages for wild green onions, a staple of Native American cuisine, on land straddling the Muscogee and Cherokee Nations. He cooks them in the traditional way he learned from his grandmother, boiling them in water and then frying them with scrambled eggs.

Wild onion dinners in Oklahoma have become not only a way to raise money for bills but also popular community events. This year, a wild onion dinner in Okmulgee helped raise travel funds for Claudia McHenry, a tribal citizen competing in the Miss Indian World Pageant in New Mexico.

Churches in Oklahoma have been hosting wild onion dinners for nearly two decades, drawing hundreds of people who enjoy fried pork and a heap of wild onions. Elders share stories on the porch, children play in the woods, and vendors sell beadwork and clothing, creating a vibrant community atmosphere.

As wild onion dinner season continues into mid-April, the tradition lives on, bringing people together to celebrate the bounty of the land and the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous communities.