What is ramp food

What is a ramp food?

ANSWER

Here’s the short answer: ramps are a wild onion that grow during the spring in Eastern Canada and the U.S. They’re sometimes referred to as wild leeks, and taste like a balanced mixture of garlic and onion. They’re pungent, to say the very least.

What Are Ramps, Anyway?

Here’s the short answer: ramps are a wild onion that grow during the spring in Eastern Canada and the U.S. They’re sometimes referred to as wild leeks, and taste like a balanced mixture of garlic and onion. They’re pungent, to say the very least.

What Are Ramps and How Do You Cook With Them? Like onions, garlic, scallions, and leeks, ramps—aka allium tricoccum—are part of the allium family (but we promise they won’t make you cry like a big ole yellow onion). They’re a wild plant that peaks in springtime and typically grows on the East Coast along the Appalachian Mountain range.

What Are Ramps and How Do You Use Them? Peppery and powerful raw, like a cross between garlic, scallion, and onion, they mellow with cooking. If you like your food aromatic with a bit of a (garlicky) kick, you’ll love ramps.

What Are Ramps?

Ramps, also known as wild leeks, are a type of wild onion found in North America, similar in appearance to scallions, but with large green leaves and a particularly spicy flavor that mellows out slightly with cooking.

How to Find and Eat Ramps? Ramps, ramsons or wild leeks, are one of the earliest wild edibles to emerge, and, for some, they’re the holy grail of wild edibles. Historically ramps were regarded as a spring tonic in the Appalachians. Early settlers looked forward to ramp season after long, hungry winters.

What are ramps and why are people nuts about them? Food writer Chris Nuttall-Smith explains what a ramp is and foodies worship them

What is a Ramp?

Ramps, an edible member of the onion family, grow wild in the Appalachian region of East Tennessee – but just for a very short time in the spring. Also known as wild leeks, ramps taste like a sweet green onion combined with a sharp, pungent flavor.

What are ramps and how do I cook with them? Epicurious keeps it simple and straightforward for a flavorful ramp breakfast: Chop a handful of whole ramps (bulbs and leaves) and cook them in butter before adding eggs. If you’re a Mediterranean food lover like we are, you can add spinach or another favorite leafy green , and call it green shakshuka .

What’s Fresh? Ramps, a wild leek that often grow on the steep hillsides near rivers, have a thin white bulb similar to a green onion at the bottom, and open up to a flat green leaf the width of a golf ball.

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What Are Ramps?

Buying, Cooking, Storing, Recipes, and More

Ramps–a cousin of onions, leeks, scallions, and shallots–grow in low mountain altitudes from South Carolina to Canada. In many areas, they’re considered a spring delicacy and a reason for celebration. Harvesting ramps has a long tradition in the Appalachian region of the United States, with West Virginia particularly well known for its many festivals and events. Ramp festivals are also held in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. There are many ways to enjoy ramps: raw, sautéed, roasted, grilled, and pickled too.

What Are Ramps?

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. Ramps are among the first plants to appear in the spring, typically showing up in the Appalachian region in mid-March and around the Great Lakes in early April.

According to John Mariani, author of «The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink,» the word ramps comes from «rams» or «ramson,» the name of the wild garlic plant in an Elizabethan dialect. People in Appalachia, its native habitat, call the plants «ramps.» Elsewhere, they’re known as wild leeks.

An increase in demand from food-savvy consumers and its short, three-week growing season has led to a scarcity of this traditionally foraged vegetable. As a result, commercial growers now cultivate ramps to supply specialty grocery and produce markets. Ramps cost more than scallions and other cultivated onions, but aficionados claim that they’re worth it.

How to Use Ramps

Use ramps raw or cooked in any recipe calling for scallions or leeks. Cut off any hairy roots, peel off the first layer of leaves, and rinse or wipe off any excess dirt on the bulbs. Slice the ramps thin and use fresh in salads or sauté them with scrambled eggs or fried potatoes. You can also grill or roast them—the stems, leaves, and bulbs are all edible.

What Do They Taste Like?

The flavor and aroma of ramps are often described as a combination of onion and garlic, with the garlic note particularly evident—strong enough that even ramp lovers will advise caution. They’re sometimes referred to by the nickname «little stinkers.» The green tops are milder in flavor and are often used along with the stronger-tasting bulbs.

Ramps Recipes

Ramps add a uniquely pungent flavor to soups and casseroles, as well as egg, rice, and potato dishes. They make a great substitute for green onions in any application.

Where to Buy Ramps

Specialty grocers and farmers markets may sell ramps when they are in season. They’re typically sold in small bunches or priced per pound, but some places will sell them in bulk. Choose ramps with healthy-looking dark green leaves (but not too dark). Make sure the leaves are not wilted and that the 10- to 14-inch long stalks are thin rather than thick. Thin stalks are more tender. If you can’t find a local retailer, you can sometimes buy them from the online market Earthy Delights.

If you want to grow your own ramps, you can plant seeds. Better yet, choose some ramps with roots attached, slice a little bit off the top of each bulb, let them soak in water overnight, and plant them the next day in an environment similar to their natural one. These are woodland plants that typically grow underneath deciduous trees, where the soil is moist and well drained, and the lighting is a perfect balance of shade to partial shade. Growing ramps takes patience—they reach maturity in about seven years.

Storage

Wrap fresh ramps in a damp paper towel and store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for several days. Ramps only grow for a few weeks in the spring, but you can chop and freeze them for later uses. Chop about half of the green leaves separately, air-dry them for a few hours, then freeze them in an air-tight container for future use as a seasoning. You can also blanch the leaves, shock them in an ice-water bath, let them air-dry, then freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet before storing them in a freezer bag or other container. You can freeze the bulbs and stems as well, either separately or together. They’re good frozen for up to six months.

Pickling the ramps’ stems and bulbs (not the leaves or roots) and storing them in Mason jars is another way to enjoy them year-round. They can be pickled and refrigerated or processed in a water bath canning method so they’re shelf-stable until the jar is opened. When pickled, the ramps get a little sweet and sour.

Nutrition and Benefits

With a nutritional profile similar to scallions, ramps are low in calories but relatively high in vitamins, especially vitamin C.   They also deliver a small amount of fiber, iron, and potassium. Allicin, the compound responsible for the strong smell, can have an anti-inflammatory effect and may reduce blood pressure as well. 

Foraging

Ramps are so popular that foragers are overharvesting the plant in many areas. In parts of Canada, the plant is a protected species with carefully enforced harvest limits. They tend to grow in close groups with roots densely entwined just below the soil surface. Conservationists recommend a harvest method used by Indigenous peoples in which the plant root is cut with a sharp knife leaving roughly one-third of the bulb and the attached roots remaining in the ground. When harvested this way, the plant will grow back and keep producing perennially.

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What Are Ramps? All About Foraging and Cooking With Ramps

Once you’ve had this springtime delicacy, you’ll never forget the intoxicating flavor of ramps.

Ramp season comes and goes in a flash, with these wild onions making an appearance in early spring and disappearing before summer. Read on to learn more about wild ramps, most often found at farmers’ markets and roadside produce stands.

What are ramps?

Part of the allium family, ramps are a species of wild onion also known as wild leeks and ramson. Ramps grow across eastern North America, as far south as Georgia and as far north as Canada. The Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia can be thought of as the epicenter of ramp enjoyment, with ramp dinners and ramp festivals held every spring across the state.

What do ramps taste like?

While they may look a little like scallions, ramps have a strong garlic fragrance and flavor, with a similar garlicky kick. It may be no surprise, then, that one ramp festival in West Virginia even has its own mascot: «Stinky.» Ramps’ assertive flavor might even remind you a little of horseradish, which is one reason why they are considered a zesty tonic after a long winter of root veggies.

When are ramps in season?

Ramps are in season during a very short window in spring. Ramps start to appear as early as late March and into April, with the season peaking in May.

Where to buy ramps

If you don’t live in an area where wild ramps are prolific, it can be tough to find them. However, availability is becoming more widespread as chefs and home cooks have discovered the joy of this unusual ingredient. Look out for ramps beginning in April at your local farmers’ market or at roadside produce stands. You can also check at your local food co-op or gourmet grocer.

Foraging for ramps

If you live in an area where ramps grow, you can indeed forage your own wild ramps. Be extra careful of plants that can look like ramps, however, such as lily of the valley, which can be harmful if ingested.

When foraging for ramps, be sure the leaves you pick smell distinctly of onion and garlic — this is one tell-tale sign that you’ve found ramps and not something else. In addition, if unsure you should consult a local forager or multiple online sources before eating what you’ve picked. Of course, as with any foraging, if you’re just not sure, it is best left unpicked.

When picking wild ramps, be sure to pick just at the base of the stem, leaving the bulb behind. This ensures that you’ll be rewarded with plenty of ramps to pick next year, as the bulbs can take years to appear again.

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What Are Ramps, Anyway? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Ramps are similar to garlic and scallions, but with a more dedicated fan base.

Ferocious-smelling, heavenly-tasting ramps (the foods, not the highway structures) are a sure sign of early spring, especially in the Northeast. In springtime, they start to appear on forest floors, in farmers’ markets, and, if you’re lucky, perhaps even in your local supermarket. They’re so popular in parts of the country that there are ramp festivals, including one held for the past 80-plus years in North Carolina, complete with a ramp-eating contest and a King and Queen of Ramps. These greens can be enjoyed raw (if you dare!), sautéed, roasted or even pickled. Treat them as a flavoring in your favorite vegetarian frittata or wilt the leaves to add to an easy weeknight stir-fry.

What are ramps, exactly?

Also known as wild onions or wild leeks, these fragrant members of the allium family are related to garlic and scallions, too.

What do wild ramps taste like?

Peppery and powerful raw, like a cross between garlic, scallion, and onion, they mellow with cooking. If you like your food aromatic with a bit of a (garlicky) kick, you’ll love ramps. Their pungent aroma and flavor make them a natural pairing with foods like potatoes and eggs, and if you’re not afraid of a peppery bite, wait ‘til you try ramp pesto in a steaming bowl of pasta or slathered over a veggie-filled pizza. They’re fantastic grilled and served alongside a juicy steak (maybe topped with some of that ramp pesto again!)

What part of ramps do you eat?

The plants consist of 2, sometimes 3, broad smooth leaves each on their own stem, a reddish pink stalk and a slender luminous white root end that sometimes forms a slight bulb. Other than the roots and the translucent covering around the bottom part of the stem, you can eat every part of the ramp. Trim off the roots, if attached, and peel off and discard the thin protective sheath around the base and wash thoroughly. Treat the bottom white and light pink part as you would garlic or onion. The leaves can be sautéed until just wilted or tossed in a food processor with some softened butter to make a flavorful topping for just about anything.

How do you store ramps?

Ramps are best eaten as soon as possible, but they can be stored, unwashed, in the refrigerator for four days or so. The leaves wilt more quickly than the stalks and will last only two or three days, max, especially if detached from the rest of the plant. For longer-term storage, the root ends can be pickled (fabulous in tacos or sandwiches) or made into ramp butter (see above) and frozen for a month or two if well-wrapped.

Where do wild ramps grow?

Ramps can be found in the eastern half of the U.S., primarily the Northeast, with a concentration in Appalachia. The plants grow in the woods, often on slopes and beside streams, and they are one of the first spring crops to appear. Their popularity may be enhanced by their scarcity, since their season lasts only 3 (at most 4) weeks in mid to late April up to early May, depending on the weather.

Any buying tips?

Before buying, ask your purveyor how they were obtained. These wild native plants should be sustainably harvested by digging small clumps out of large patches (some say no more than 10%), leaving enough to grow into new patches for future feasts. (A good rule to follow if you’re lucky enough to forage for them in person.) To be safe, some people cut off just above the roots.

If you see full plants for sale, roots included, and you aren’t convinced whether they were harvested sustainably, don’t buy them. Some markets sell just the leaves, and they’re a guilt-free way to get into the gloriously garlicky ramp game.

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