What to do with pickled ramps?

They're best used for making condiments or using anywhere you want a pickled onion flavor. Leeks harvested at the end of the season will have the biggest bulbs. What is this? If you don't have fresh ramps you can use green garlic or spring onions.

Instead, they carry a bright, garlicky flavor profile. Think of a green onion's flavor mixed with the pungent, spicy kick of raw garlic. That strong garlic presence makes them unique when used raw, but the strong flavor mellows out and becomes reminiscent of leeks when cooked.

What is the best way to use ramps?

"I really enjoy ramps in the uncooked state. We like to macerate them into vinaigrettes, marinades, condiments, or just raw, finely sliced. You can use them interchangeably with any recipe calling for garlic. The season is so short that I kind of like the idea of savoring the pungent flavor that can stick with you.

Do you eat ramp stems?

Ramps look a bit like scallions, with green shoots that come up from the ground, but they often have purplish stems and wide, broad leaves. The stalks and leaves are edible, and they're versatile across a number of recipes and dishes.

What are the side effects of ramps?

In the most severe cases, it's led to hospitalizations, with symptoms including vomiting, cardiac arrhythmias, dangerously low blood pressure and even seizures. “It has a toxin in it that opens up our neuronal and our cardiac sodium channels,” Holstege said.

Why are ramps so expensive?

Ramps are highly sought after, mainly due to their extreme seasonality. Even when they're in season, supplies are usually limited and quickly exhausted. As a result, ramps tend to be sold at higher prices than similar vegetables.

Can ramps upset your stomach?

Both the leaves and the bulbs have a delicious onion and garlicky taste. They can be a little harsh on the stomach if eaten raw (just like eating a raw garlic clove), so we suggest cooking them before consumption (see recipes below).

Do you eat the green part of ramps?

From their small white bulb that resembles a spring onion to their large green leaves, every part of a ramp—except the roots at the end of the bulb—is edible, whether raw or cooked.

Why are ramps so rare?

Ramps are so highly sought that they are one of the most over-harvested wild edibles. They grow slowly and it takes a long time for wild populations to recover if a forager takes too many. Through present throughout New Hampshire, they are quite rare.

What to eat with pickled leeks?

Add them to warm salads, roasted veg, serve with meats or get caught just scooping them out of the jar!

Should you refrigerate ramps?

Though the leaves are fragile, properly handled ramps will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week: Rinse and dry them thoroughly with paper towels, then tightly wrap them together in plastic, remove all the air, and store them in the crisper in the fridge. Or, you can vacuum seal the raw ramps and freeze them.

Sweet & Spicy Pickled Ramps Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Make Ahead

by: MissGinsu

March24,2022

4.3

3 Ratings

Sweet & Spicy Pickled Ramps Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 72 hours
Cook time 15 minutes
makes 1 quart

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

The ramp is a vegetable that needs to be treated like two dishes in one plant. I chop off the leaves just below the greenery and immediately cook them in a hot pan with a touch of olive oil. They puff like jade-green blimps, and they're a fantastic side dish for steak. The stems and bulbs have a different destiny: inside a mason jar. This easy pickling recipe is based on a brine I learned from Chef Cardoz of Tabla, and it's great when used to pickle anything from cauliflower to red onions. Although the ramps are terrific in savory co*cktails, we usually chop them and throw them on sandwiches or in salads. —MissGinsu

Test Kitchen Notes

You've probably heard it time and time again: Ramp season is a special season, but oh does it go by so quickly. They look like scallions, but their garlicky flavor makes them wonderful to have around and is a welcome sign of spring. But this is a way to make them last longer than the few weeks they are in season: Ramps make for terrific condiments and, it turns out, a terrific pickle. In this recipe, the sweet pickling liquid eases their feisty onion flavor and the spices hang in the back, there to support and nothing more. If you have a bunch of ramps and 10 minutes to spare, you can have a plentiful jar of ramp pickles at your fingertips.

Rebecca Firkser, assigning editor at Food52, loves ramps and wrote about them. She says, "With a slim bulb and a couple long, flat leaves, ramps, which grow in clumps, taste more pungent than scallions, yet less sharp than raw onion. But that still doesn’t quite put their majesty into words. Considering that there are a few Ramp Heads on the Food52 Editorial team, I asked for some help: 'They kind of taste like scallions on vacation. Like, if scallions were a little mellower and in a better mood, just having a good time and living their best life,' says CB Owens, copy editor. 'To me, ramps look like willowy scallions all dressed up in translucent pink stripes and feathery green headbands,' adds senior editor Jess Kapadia. 'If they were an indie rock band, they'd be called the Leafy Scallionettes, and they would shred.'” —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved
Your Best Ramps Contest Finalist

What You'll Need

Ingredients

¹/₂ poundramp bulbs with stems
2 cupswhite wine vinegar
1 cupsugar
2 dried red chiles
2 teaspoonscoriander seeds
1 teaspoonfennel seeds
1 teaspoonyellow mustard seeds
¹/₂ teaspoonfenugreek seeds
2 to 3 whole cloves

Directions

Wash the ramp bulbs very well, discarding any loose membrane around the bulb. Make sure the leaves and roots are trimmed away.
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar, sugar, chiles, coriander, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, and cloves to a boil.
Meanwhile, place the ramp bulbs in a clean, sanitized glass quart jar.
When the brine comes to a boil, carefully pour into the jar, covering the ramps. Leave at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar, then cap tightly. Let cool, then refrigerate for 3 days.
After 3 days, your ramps should be ready to enjoy on their own or as a condiment, but you can brine them for longer. They'll keep (chilled) for up to 5 months.

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12 Reviews

Jane April 28, 2019

when you say brine for longer, does that mean at room temp? And then they will last for months in the refrigerator? Could you do a water bath for longer storage?

Midge May 12, 2013

Just made my second batch of these. I practically had to ration the first batch they were so good. Look forward to trying your asparagus suggestions below.

fiveandspice May 10, 2010

I just had a sandwich with thinly sliced lamb, a little goat cheese, apricot preserves, and a nice layer of pickled ramps. FABULOUS!

MissGinsu May 12, 2010

Glad you liked 'em. I usually eat these on a juicy burger topped with some good,.sharp cheddar, but just reading the ingredient list for your sandwich is making me ravenous...