All About Ramps

If you are reading this – it’s probably March or April, you’ve probably heard about (or seen!) ramps near you, and now you’re wondering “What (the hell) are ramps? And why is everyone so so excited??”. How to use ramps is a question I get constantly, so I understand why the whole hype around the season is mysterious.

So I, as one of those very excited people, am here to break it down for you. This post will talk about:

• What ramps are, and a bit of their history
• What ramps taste like
• How to find ramps, whether in a grocery store or at a farmers’ market
• How to store wild ramps
• And of course – How to use ramps! We have recipes!

First, what are ramps?

Ramps are the one seasonal ingredient I never miss. They are also called “Wild Garlic” – which really sums up what they are. They are one of the earliest sprouting greens in North America, and they grow in colonies ranging all the way from Alabama to Canada. The only grow wildly, meaning they can’t be farmed, and they are incredibly rare. They grow in wooded and damp areas, which adds to their rarity and why people love to forage for them in woodlands and mountains.

We harvest ramps to use both the stem and the leaves. They are similar to other alliums, but have a rich, garlicky smell that makes the incredibly aromatic.

Ramps are incredibly culturally significant to both the Indigenous people of North American and the Appalachian region. The former utilized the as the first food and medicine sources after long winters, so the ramp still is used and deeply rooted in their culture. The Appalachian Mountains have some of the highest density of ramps, so it is wildly important in their cooking and community. They even have ramp festivals throughout the summer to celebrate the abundance that they have.

What do ramps taste like?

Great question – because if you’re going to hunt something down, you should know why it’s delicious! Ramps taste like a mixture of garlic, sweet basil, scallion greens and parsley. I call them garlicky, yet herbaceous and sweet. Think of them as garlic x10000. If you are unsure if you want to buy any, just go and smell them and you’ll see why people love them. The smell is potent but less sharp than raw garlic, and the flavor is the same.

How do I find ramps?

Ramps are tricky to find, and you will mostly see them in North America. You can occasionally find them in grocery stores like Whole Foods, but the best way to find them is through local farmers markets.

A few things to know about harvesting/buying ramps sustainably:

• Ideally, you want ramps that do not have roots. This means they were trimmed instead of pulled, and that will make it easier for the ramp colony to regrow next year.
• Many farmers sell the ramps with the roots, this is not always because of unsustainable harvesting. Sometimes ramp colonies are rampant, and farmers need to uproot some to leave space for other crops to grow, or because they know that if they don’t pull up the entire colony, the colony itself will still grown and repopulate. Talk to your farmer and ask about it! I always learn something new about foraging practices when I do.
• If you know someone who lives near a ramp colony, you can also go foraging. To be extra safe and respect the population, only trim the leaves and stem. Don’t take the roots with you!

And when purchasing ramps, spread the love and only take what you need. I find 4-6 ounces is plenty for a good recipe!

How to store ramps so that they last forever

Since I advise on only buying the ramps you need, you definitely don’t want them to go bad in your fridge. Here is how I store my ramps to keep them fresh for up to two weeks:

• Clean and dry them well.
• Cut off the root (if it is attached).
• Wrap 4-6 ounces of ramps in very damp and cold paper towels. Wrap them tightly and put them in an air-tight container.
• Store until you are ready to use them!

My favorite ramp recipes

Ramp Oil & Ramp Butter

If you are new to ramps, making them into a butter and oil is a great place to start! These two recipes are together because without one, you’d be wasting a bit of what you would need for the other. Having both the butter and the oil, you’re able to use the ramp flavor throughout the week in different applications, so you’ll have a lot of options for maximizing on the ramps you purchased!

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Ramp Pesto

One of my favorite ways to use ramps is in a brighter, more herb-way forward, which leads us to this ramp pesto. It’s simple, but that means you get the full punch of the ramps, which is always nice.

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Clam Toast with Ramp Butter

This is a light dinner, and it feels like a very chef-y way to use ramps (which…I love). The clams steam in a white wine ramp butter sauce until they open, soaking up all that buttery, spring flavor. The toast soaks up the rest, which is my other favorite thing.

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Ramp-Covered Salmon

This recipe is a protein that utilizes the entire ramp, while also being supremely fast and easy. There’s a layer of ramp pesto, then the whites of the ramps get infused into a bright, crunchy breadcrumb topping while the leaves crisp up on top of the salmon (becoming very chip-like) as it roasts.

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Three Cheese Ramp Biscuits

And for a show-stopper, these ramp biscuits bring it all home. They’re flaky, buttery, and layered with ramps and three cheeses that melt right into the dough for crisp edges, soft centers, and plenty of savory pockets. Ugh, I love a cheesy biscuit with some great alliums, (ramps, or otherwise).