Grilled Ramps - Simple, Spectacular & Seasonal Fare

Friday, May 3, 2013

We're coming to the tail end of wild ramp season here in the Hudson Valley so we made one more push to harvest a few more yesterday and we couldn't have picked a nicer day for it. Rahm took this photo of me with some of the ramps and the tool of the trade - I was like a pig in shit, if I do say so myself.

Eve Fox with ramps & trowel by Rahm Rechtschaffen, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Just a reminder to please harvest sustainably if you are fortunate enough to find a big enough patch to sustain some picking. You can only take a fraction of the plants without impacting their ability to thrive next year. If you're not sure how much is too much, my friend and fellow Woodstock Farm Festival-er, Rick is a big proponent of snipping just the greens instead of digging up the entire plant.

Freshly picked ramps awaiting cleaning by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

And don't forget that you can and should start your own patch by planting seeds and transplanting bulbs! We started this process last year by ordering ramp bulbs and seeds from Facemire's farm.

Fresh-picked ramps on the grill by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

The bulbs we planted last year are up again this year and seem to be doing well though it will be a number of years before they've spread enough to harvest any of them. We'll just keep at it, though, and eventually should have a stellar patch of these singularly tasty spring onions.

Fresh-picked ramps on the grill by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

If you want to start your own patch (do it!) keep in mind that ramps like sandy, loamy soil near streams or on hillsides in deciduous forest - I've heard that maple and oak trees are their favorites - where they can enjoy the early spring sunshine before the trees leaf out and benefit from the natural mulch of leaf litter in the fall. They do NOT like the acidic soil and limited sunlight of conifer (pine/evergreen) forest.

Now that my little lecture has been delivered, back to the grilled ramps.We made these last night to accompany some grilled salmon with mustard and thyme and we are HOOKED! Even our four-year-old son who does not typically like onion-y, garlicky foods attacked them with great enthusiasm.

Grilled ramps by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Very simple, too. Just toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill. Enjoy!

Grilled Ramps
Serves 2-4 as a side

Ingredients

* 1 bunch (roughly 20) amps, cleaned with root ends cut off
* 1-2 tsps olive oil
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Clean and preheat your grill.

2. While you're waiting for the grill to heat up, toss the ramps with the olive oil, sea salt and pepper in a large bowl until well-coated.

3. Lower flame to medium and lay the ramps out in a single layer. Cook until grill marks form then turn to the other side - this should only take 1-2 minutes on each side.

4. Remove to a platter and serve.

You might also like:
Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

1 comment:

Andrea Mynard said...

Ramps are wild garlic? I've been making pesto with wild garlic leaves. This looks like a fabulous way of cooking them though!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Grilled Ramps - Simple, Spectacular & Seasonal Fare

We're coming to the tail end of wild ramp season here in the Hudson Valley so we made one more push to harvest a few more yesterday and we couldn't have picked a nicer day for it. Rahm took this photo of me with some of the ramps and the tool of the trade - I was like a pig in shit, if I do say so myself.

Eve Fox with ramps & trowel by Rahm Rechtschaffen, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Just a reminder to please harvest sustainably if you are fortunate enough to find a big enough patch to sustain some picking. You can only take a fraction of the plants without impacting their ability to thrive next year. If you're not sure how much is too much, my friend and fellow Woodstock Farm Festival-er, Rick is a big proponent of snipping just the greens instead of digging up the entire plant.

Freshly picked ramps awaiting cleaning by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

And don't forget that you can and should start your own patch by planting seeds and transplanting bulbs! We started this process last year by ordering ramp bulbs and seeds from Facemire's farm.

Fresh-picked ramps on the grill by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

The bulbs we planted last year are up again this year and seem to be doing well though it will be a number of years before they've spread enough to harvest any of them. We'll just keep at it, though, and eventually should have a stellar patch of these singularly tasty spring onions.

Fresh-picked ramps on the grill by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

If you want to start your own patch (do it!) keep in mind that ramps like sandy, loamy soil near streams or on hillsides in deciduous forest - I've heard that maple and oak trees are their favorites - where they can enjoy the early spring sunshine before the trees leaf out and benefit from the natural mulch of leaf litter in the fall. They do NOT like the acidic soil and limited sunlight of conifer (pine/evergreen) forest.

Now that my little lecture has been delivered, back to the grilled ramps.We made these last night to accompany some grilled salmon with mustard and thyme and we are HOOKED! Even our four-year-old son who does not typically like onion-y, garlicky foods attacked them with great enthusiasm.

Grilled ramps by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Very simple, too. Just toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill. Enjoy!

Grilled Ramps
Serves 2-4 as a side

Ingredients

* 1 bunch (roughly 20) amps, cleaned with root ends cut off
* 1-2 tsps olive oil
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Clean and preheat your grill.

2. While you're waiting for the grill to heat up, toss the ramps with the olive oil, sea salt and pepper in a large bowl until well-coated.

3. Lower flame to medium and lay the ramps out in a single layer. Cook until grill marks form then turn to the other side - this should only take 1-2 minutes on each side.

4. Remove to a platter and serve.

You might also like:
Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

1 comment:

Andrea Mynard said...

Ramps are wild garlic? I've been making pesto with wild garlic leaves. This looks like a fabulous way of cooking them though!