Bettina Makalintal is a senior reporter at Eater.com, covering restaurant trends, home cooking advice, and all the food you can’t escape on your TikTok FYP. Previously, she worked for Bon Appétit and VICE’s Munchies.
Spring is so close, like a shoot ready to poke through the thawing dirt — and that means it’s time to brace yourself for ramp season. In some parts of the world, it’s already beginning, judging by the dishes starting to emerge on Instagram.
You know, ramps: those cute, terribly en vogue little vegetables with the slightly confusing name that sprout up yearly on every hip restaurateur’s menu, and whose hyper-seasonal presence has been known to spur long lines at farmers’ markets and clamor across the culinary internet. But what exactly are these little green wonders — and why are people so into them?
What are ramps?
A good way to define ramps might be to describe the negative space, i.e. what ramps aren’t. Ramps are not leeks, nor are they scallions, nor are they exactly shallots. Ramps are sometimes called wild leeks, wild garlic, or spring onions, adding to the confusion. They look like scallions, but they’re smaller and slightly more delicate, with one or two flat, broad leaves. Both the greens and the lower white stalks are edible. Ramps taste stronger than a leek, which generally has a mild onion flavor, and they’re more pungently garlicky than a scallion.
Why do chefs and cooks freak out about ramps?
Ramp season is short, and hence, quantities are limited. Like truffles and wild mushrooms, ramps are typically foraged, giving them an air of adventure. They’re also one of the first vegetables to emerge from the defrosting soil after a long winter. Waiting for the first ramps of the season has the anticipatory excitement of waiting for Punxsutawney Phil to look for his shadow. They’re one of those turning points that promises the farmers market is about to get exciting again, after a long winter of root vegetables.
How do I cook with ramps?
Ramps are the gorgeous, perfect little cousin of the onion, so use them anywhere you might use other alliums. Cook them in butter and make them into an omelet. Turn them into pesto, compound butter, or vinaigrette. If their temporal nature saddens you, keep the season going a little longer by pickling them.
How much do ramps cost?
Ramps are priced like they’re in demand: While guides tend to estimate prices around $20 per pound or $5-$10 for a small bunch, ramps went for $27.99 per pound last season from the specialty food purveyor D’Artagnan.
Should I freak about ramps?
As with all things, only in moderation. There are consequences to the annual ramp-age — namely, overharvesting. Wild foods advocate Russ Cohen has decried overeager ramp foraging in the past, saying that more sustainable harvesting is necessary, lest long-term ecological damage be done.
How can I get ramps sustainably?
If foraging your own ramps, Cohen has recommended picking just one leaf per plant and leaving the bulb in the ground so it can continue to reproduce for future years. And since ramps grow slowly, the National Agroforestry Center also recommends only harvesting portions should you encounter a ramp cluster in the wild, as opposed to the whole thing. It cites a 2004 study that recommends “harvesting no more than 10 percent of a patch and harvesting from the same patch only once every 10 years. In this way, natural populations have a chance to recuperate.”
When buying ramps, you might consider buying only ramp leaves if they’re available, or choosing from sellers who don’t sell the plant with its entire bulb. (In order to protect native ramp populations, the cultivation of ramps could also be a growth area as demand no doubt increases.) So sure, freak out, but in a controlled manner, remembering that you’re not the only person excited about ramp season.
Where can I get my hands on some ramps?
Check your local farmers’ market. Otherwise, you might luck out at Whole Foods, produce markets, Eataly, or other specialty grocery stores.
