Springtime favorite: wild Ramps
My favorite season is finally here…SPRING! The smell of sweet rain, new flowers, and fresh-cut grass, are simply my favorites. Spring to me is a symbol of rebirth—new life, new beginnings, and new growth.
Especially living in Minnesota, the winters can be long, uneventful, and boring. Spring gives me the sunshine needed to brighten my day, the vibrant smells to rebuild my happiness, and the new plants to expand my taste buds.
Today, I would like to share with you my favorite springtime plant ever- ramps.
Ramps— allium tricoccum— otherwise known as wild leek, is a wild onion that comes in early spring. It grows from a bulb underground and produces two broad, smooth leaves aboveground and smells and tastes like onion.
Traditionally, you harvest the entire plant—bulb and leaves. However, these plants have been gaining popularity and are often being over-harvested. When the entire plant is harvested, it will not produce the flower stalk in midsummer to spread its seed. Therefore, it is imperative to learn how to sustainably harvest this plant.
If you choose to harvest the bulb, only take 1/3 of the patch you are harvesting from. This way the bulbs will still produce the flower stalk and reproduce for the years to come. Zach and I don’t harvest any bulbs to eat— only to transplant them into our garden at home. Instead, we take a knife and cut the stem just below the leaves, leaving the bulb in the ground. We can still enjoy the taste of ramps while sustainably leaving behind the bulb to reproduce.
Our favorite way to eat ramps is in eggs. So simple, but incredibly delicious. Just scramble up a couple of eggs and add some sliced ramp leaves while cooking.
Another favorite of ours is ramp butter. Again, very simple— just chopped ramp leaves and butter. We also add some field garlic that we forage, but you can simply leave this out. This butter is delicious on steak, sauteeing veggies, or my personal favorite— on popcorn! :)
Over the past few years, we have experimented with different ways to preserve ramps. We have tried dehydrating, infused olive oil, and for the first time this season, we are trying to freeze them. But my favorite way of preservation is to make the ramp butter and freeze it!
If you have any experience with preserving ramps, or any favorite recipes let me know! I will be sharing a ramp cheddar bay biscuit recipe soon, so stay tuned!
I hope this post provides you with a little bit of information on ramps and encourages you to get outside and find some wild edibles!
If you are looking for more information on foraging and other plants to harvest, I encourage you to buy Midwest Foraging by Lisa M. Rose. This is a great reference guide and has helped us to identify and harvest multiple wild edibles.
https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Foraging-Flavorful-Edibles-Regional/dp/1604695315/ref=sr_1_3?crid=298PGU0QDW4CH&keywords=midwest+foraging&qid=1683824576&sprefix=midwest+foragin%2Caps%2C552&sr=8-3
Happy foraging!
