It’s that time of year when the beloved wild allium, the ramp, is in season — but don’t blink, because their green leaves will be gone before you know it.
Also known as wild leeks, ramps taste like you rubbed a pungent head of garlic all over an onion.
Local farms recognize that ramps have become all the rage in the food scene, emphasizing that to keep this onion’s cousin around, there are important things to remember.
Clay Hill Farms, 2848 N. Township Rd. 165, Tiffin
Ramps grow throughout the Eastern Woodlands, like the Appalachian Valleys, said Aaron Buskirk, co-owner of Clay Hill Farms in Tiffin, adding that the spring crop can also be found in Georgia or Michigan, as far west as Indiana and Minnesota, and as far northeast as parts of New York and Canada.
In places with smaller populations, like rural Appalachian communities, ramp festivals were held to celebrate the crop, which he said are still popular to this day.
In northwestern Ohio, ramp season lasts just over a month, Buskirk added, and changes every year with the variations in spring.
This year’s season started in early April, the farmer said, mentioning he sold his last bunch of ramps throughout the last week, though other farms still have some.
Ramps are partial to a dark, deep, and wet forest, he said, which you can’t reproduce in a field, explaining why they aren’t a cultivated crop like green onions or garlic.
“They are commonly thought of as a spring crop because that’s when they send their greens [leaves] up, which is the most common part to eat,” Buskirk added. “Then, the leaves die back and they send up a flower; the flower dies back and the seeds drop. They’re pretty much invisible in the woods unless you know where they are.”
When harvesting ramps, it’s important to try not to intentionally dig ramp bulbs up, the farmer added, to avoid the consequences of overharvesting.
“It’s okay to dig up a few ramps, just not too many,” he said. “If you want more, just cut [the] leaves so we all don’t deplete them.”
Although both the green tops and white bulbs are edible, Buskirk would advise against digging up ramp bulbs just for the purpose of cooking with them.
“The bulb is more concentrated, I think the better flavor is actually in the greens. The green part has more subtlety to it, ” he said. “You can pick 10 to 15 leaves and still get the same experience.”
You should only take a leaf or two from each patch, the farmer explained, in order to sustainably harvest the crop.
In a ramp patch, Buskirk said the rule of thumb is to take 10 percent of the ramps “when you’re digging them and not just taking leaves,” adding that you should not go back and harvest from the same patch for about a decade.
“Ramps take years and years to grow. When a seed drops in the woods it might be 10 years before that seed has become a ramp; they take a really long time to reproduce,” he added. “If you’re out there digging up a patch, it’s pretty much gone forever. … Transplanting doesn’t always work once their roots have been disturbed.”
“The current demand [of ramps] is concerning, because people will start digging more than they should,” the farmer said, mentioning that because ramps are not cultivated, they’re rarely found at supermarket chains like Kroger.
Farmers markets are a great source for one of springtime’s first crops, he said, adding that Clay Hill Farms carried ramps at the Toledo Farmers’ Market, 525 Market St., until April 27.
At such markets, ramps are commonly sold in bunches, that Buskirk sold for $4 per about half a pound.
The Chef’s Garden, 9009 Huron Avery Rd., Huron, Ohio
Just like Buskirk, Farmer Lee Jones, co-owner of The Chef’s Garden in Huron, which is 10 miles east of Sandusky, agreed that when harvesting ramps, you should do so sustainably.
If you take all the ramps from the cluster, you can wipe out the patch, he said, and this is because they spread from “rhizomes” or underground stems.
When foragers harvest ramps, they often take the whole plant: the bulb, root, and its green leaves. This disturbance results in the crop’s inability to reproduce, Jones wrote in the ramps section of his cookbook, The Chef’s Garden .
Some foragers don’t even tell their spouses where their ramp patches are, he added, showing what a treasure this crop truly is.
“Leave a portion of them there, and try to leave the roots and cut them rather than pulling the whole root out,” Jones said. “We use a pitchfork, or a potato fork to loosen the soil and cut them right underneath the bulb, but leave those rhizomes.”
This beloved crop is endangered because of the quantities demanded from renowned chefs and restaurants, but because a ramp cannot be traditionally cultivated, harvesting them sustainably is essential to prolong its existence.
Jones said he’s had luck propagating ramps throughout the woods on his property, but it’s important to note that the crop cannot be grown in rows out in full sun, like you might do with other crops.
You can source ramp seeds, the farmer added, but he found they grew best when stored and frozen for a year, then planted in late summer or early fall, rather than planting them immediately.
Ramps thrive on cooler temperatures, he said, making them come up before asparagus and rhubarb in the spring.
“As much as we love root vegetables, winter storage vegetables, and potatoes and all that,” Jones continued, “it’s so exciting to see the first thing coming out of the ground.”
When it gets too warm, ramps will go off to the next stage, which would be the seed stage, he said, and once they’re in a seeded stage, it’s best to leave them alone and let them continue to propagate.
“We’ve had a perfect start to spring where it’s not been overly hot,” he added. “It’s about a 4 to 5 week season.”
Jones said the Farmer Jones Farm Market, 1517 Scheid Rd., Huron, will be carrying ramps by the pound, along with quarter and half pound bunches, until mid-May.
Ramping up for springtime recipes
Native Americans have been using ramps in their recipes for hundreds of years, Buskirk said, with the plant also being used as a health tonic to help with colds and earaches.
“It’s an anti-inflammatory, [it helps with] digestion, [and has] all sorts of benefits,” he said, along with ramps being a good source of Vitamin A and C. “Before Western medicine, people ate [ramps] in the spring to boost health for the coming year.”
For Buskirk, adding ramps to potatoes is one of his favorite ways — whether they’re mashed, fried, roasted, or even added to a potato soup.
To preserve their short season, he said you can flash-freeze them, dehydrate them, and more.
Jones said that he sees chefs serving ramps both fresh and cooked, or even pickled to extend its season — some are still using up the last of their 2023 crop through this method.
“They’re intense [and] strong. Some people think they stink, I think they smell lovely,” he added. “My favorite way to cook them is in with scrambled eggs. It’s just a nice, spring, intense, strong, garlicky, onion kind of flavor.”
Although its not encouraged to dig up ramp bulbs for recipe usage, sometimes when harvesting, you might find a few bulbs that have snuck their way out of the ground — and if you have them, you might as well use them.
Jamie Simpson, the executive chef at the Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef’s Garden, said that pickling ramp bulbs is one way he utilizes this part of the crop: combining the bulbs with one part vinegar of choice, three parts water, half part honey, and a small fist full of salt in a mason jar to make cold-processed pickles.
Freezing chopped ramp tops in an ice cube tray is another way he recommends people at home utilize this ingredient.
You can also puree ramp greens with oil or butter to make for a paste of sorts and freeze for future use.
Although ramps can be found year-long, the executive chef shared, harvesting them when its green leaves are in full bloom is what “in season” means for the crop — which only lasts a few more weeks in northwest Ohio.
Recipes this week are ramp-forward, including ways to use its fresh leaves but also dehydrated ones.
Ramp Puree is a classic use for this farmers’ market find, which is great to mix into pastas, use as a base for toasts — like cottage cheese toast with tomatoes and balsamic — add to salad dressings, and more.
This sauce has a pesto-like feel with pine nuts, parmesan, and lemon, but takes a turn with unusual suspects like white balsamic vinegar and honey to balance out the strong and sharp flavor that a ramp embodies. Garlic isn’t necessary in this sauce, the ramps have that part covered.
Whipped Ramp Butter is another way to add its garlicky flavor to toasts, mix into mashed potatoes, or finish a perfectly cooked steak.
This butter is a simple way to utilize ramps, but it’s sure to be a showstopper with its pastel green color complimenting its elevated garlic butter essence.
Ramp Salt is a recipe intended to continue utilizing the green ramp leaves past its season, combining dehydrated ramp leaves with a good-quality flaky salt that can be used on roasted potatoes, to season proteins, to finish dishes, along with other creative takes.
Although ramp season is short-lived, these recipes will be sure to make springtime memorable.
Pesto-inspired Ramp Puree
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
½ pound of ramps
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
¾ to 1 cup olive oil
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Juice from ½ lemon (add more or less lemon juice depending on how acidic you want the sauce to be)
Kosher Salt
Directions:
Clean the ramps by rinsing well with water, then remove the green leaf from the white bulb (if the bulb is still attached). Note: save the white bulb for other uses, like pickling.
Blanche the green ramp leaves in boiling water for about 30 seconds, and using a spider or strainer, transfer the leaves into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Note: this step is optional to add an even more vibrant green color to the puree.
If you choose to not blanche, gently chop the leaves to make the blending process a bit easier.
Toast your pine nuts in a pan over medium-low heat, just for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.
Add the green ramp leaves, toasted pine nuts, cheese, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor.
Pour the olive oil in slowly, and pulse until the puree is formed — this will take about ¾ to 1 cup of olive oil to reach the right consistency.
You can add this pesto-inspired puree to pasta dishes, use as a base for toasts, add to salad dressings, and more.
Source: Maddie Coppel
Whipped Ramp Butter
Yield: 2 cups
Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 bunch ramps (about ¼ pound)
1 cup olive oil
2 cups softened butter, I used Kerrygold
Flake salt to finish
Directions:
In a small bowl blend the ramps (both green and white parts — but not the bulb) with the olive oil until smooth.
In a medium-sized metal bowl, add the softened butter and slowly pour in the ramp mixture and whisk together until fully incorporated.
Over a second, larger, bowl filled with ice, whisk the butter over until it thickens and has a whipped consistency.
Transfer the butter into a serving dish and top with flaky salt.
This butter is great to finish steaks, spread on toast, mix into mashed potatoes, and more.
Source: wishbonekitchen , adapted by Maddie Coppel
Ramp Salt
Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Yield: 70 teaspoons
Ingredients:
2 ounces ramp leaves, ½ cup after dried, crumbled, and loose packed
1 cup flake salt, like Maldon
Directions:
Dehydrate the leaves in an even layer on wire rack at 135 degrees for about 2 ½ hours until the leaves are completely dry and brittle.
Crumble the leaves and add them to a food processor with the flake salt.
Run until evenly incorporated and the leaves are broken down to a uniform size with the salt.
Transfer to a sealable jar and store in a cool, dark place — this will be good for up to 1 year.
This seasoning is great to add to roasted potatoes, sprinkle on eggs, season steaks, and finish dishes with.
Source: Proportional Plate , adapted by Maddie Coppel
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