Ramps Recipe - Sweet and Sour Ramps or Pearl Onions | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook ramps? ›

"Ramps, to me, are best grilled at a medium-high temperature until they are tender and charred. They are excellent served as the condiment to a moist white fish like halibut or bass and brushed with a touch of honey, soy, and mustard. This is an ultra healthy alternative and loaded with flavor."

Generally, ramps' green tops have a milder flavor than their white bulbs, which are also edible. Like scallions, the green and white parts of ramps are typically used together.

Like leeks, ramps tend to trap a lot of dirt in their leaves and they'll need more than a quick rinse to remove the grittiness. Instead, rinse thoroughly or even submerge ramps in a large bowl of cool water and swish them around to remove dirt and sand.

Ramps can be eaten raw, like green onions or scallions, but they're frequently cooked down, like leeks. While they aren't as hardy as leeks, the leaves are much more resilient to heat than the delicate shoots of chives or scallions, so don't be afraid to add some to a stir-fry or side of sautéed greens.

In some areas, such as the Appalachian Mountains, where ramps are particularly abundant, prices can be relatively low, with prices ranging from $2 to $5 per pound. In other areas, such as New York City, prices can be significantly higher, with prices ranging from $20 to $30 per pound.

Cut your ramps at the base of the leaves and separate your bulbs and leaves. The bulbs are ready to be frozen as-is. Lay them out on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once they have frozen through, package into labeled bags for storage.

Though the leaves are fragile, properly handled ramps will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week: Rinse and dry them thoroughly with paper towels, then tightly wrap them together in plastic, remove all the air, and store them in the crisper in the fridge. Or, you can vacuum seal the raw ramps and freeze them.

Ramps will stay fresh in your refrigerator for three to four days. Try wrapping them in newsprint—better yet, seal them in several plastic bags, unless you want everything in your refrigerator to taste like ramps. They can also be chopped, placed in an airtight container, and kept in the freezer for up to a year.

How do you clean and prepare ramps? ›

Pulling the entire ramp out of the ground, including the root, causes permanent damage to the plant. Many people pull whole clumps out of the ground, or they will harvest from the same patch year after year.

Identifying Wild Ramps

Ramp leaves are bright green and grow up to a foot in length by about 3 inches wide. Generally, each plant has two leaves that are anchored below ground by a white bulb similar to that of green onion. The stem is also a great indicator.

Ramps are a species of wild onion (Allium tricoccum) native to the woodlands of North America. They look like scallions but have broad leaves and a purplish stem.

Simply clean the ramp leaves, dry them well, and dehydrate them in a dehydrator or in a low oven for a few hours. Once they are dried, you simply pulverize them into a powder that can be sprinkled atop roasted meat or vegetables, blended with salt for a custom seasoning, and mixed into sauces and dressings.

Ramps or wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) are the darlings of spring foraging, and for good reason—with their fragrant leaves and pungent bulbs, they're the most tempting, lively flavor that one could imagine after a long winter.

The narrow, white bulb and purple-red stems need only to be coarsely chopped before they are frozen. The green leaves, however, should be blanched before they are frozen. This blanching step helps the leaves keep an attractive bright green color rather than turning brown when they are frozen and then thawed.