Springing A Leek

Spring is here! The forest floor is proof of that. Chris Masiero (Co-Owner of Guido’s Fresh Marketplace and ramp picking maestro) took me on a trip today to gather a short lived, North Eastern buried treasure.

Green leaves covered the ground as far as the eye could see, I felt like one of those kids inside Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Wasting no time, we dug and pulled and yanked for about an hour. The dirt flew and the sweat beaded, chatting about all the ways we like to prepare them. There we stood at the end of it, hands and shoes smeared with dirt, looking at the 18 lbs of ramps we just foraged. We couldn’t be happier.

I love my job.

Cleaned Ramps

Ok, so what are ramps and what’s the big deal?

Ramps are wild leeks. Their growing season is fairly short, starting rapidly around the first couple of weeks in April and ending in just about 3 weeks. The ideal time to get them is when theyare young and tender. older ramps tend to become woody and their leaves yellow. Their flavor profile consists mainly of sweet spring onion and has a fragrant aroma of garlic.

You may use ramps in place of scallions and onions, but that is really just the beginning.  Nothing should go to waste when preparing ramps. Try Grilling ramps, making a bright green pesto, they are an exceptional topping for a white pizza, great in risotto and make a nice compound butter to top a steak with. Since the season is so short, try pickling ramp stems to have them a bit longer. Many chefs consider the combination of ramps, asparagus and morels to be a “Holy Trinity”. What grows together, goes together.

Along with fiddle head ferns, local asparagus and morel mushrooms, the idea of ramps helps me get through the long winters. The light at the end of a very long, cold tunnel. These are the first signs of many exciting things to come.

Ramp Pesto with Tagliatelle

Photos courtesy of Jamie O’Brien