RAMPS: The Cookbook (St. Lynn’s Press, 2012), from the Editors of St. Lynn’s Press, is chock-full of delicious recipes dedicated to the ramp. Ramps, similar to onions and garlic, have been a staple to Appalachian dishes for decades but are just now gaining wide popularity thanks to food writers and chefs. The following excerpt for a pickled ramps recipe can be served as a side dish, snack or garnish.
Purchase this book from the MOTHER EARTH NEWS store:RAMPS: The Cookbook.
Pickled Ramps Recipe
Yields: 1 quart
Special equipment: canning jar
Ingredients:
1 pound ramps, washed well, ends trimmed
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup salt
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon yellow or black mustard seed
6 allspice berries
Pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions:
Carefully pack ramps into a sterilized quart-sized jar with a seal-on or screw-top lid.
Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour hot brine over ramps (it should fill the jar completely; if you have excess, discard). Seal or screw on lid and allow to cool at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to rest for at least 3 weeks, and up to a year, before consuming.
More from RAMPS: The Cookbook:
• Spring Herb Hunt
• Burrito Recipe with Ramps
• Buckwheat Crepes Recipe with Ramps
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from RAMPS: The Cookbook, Cooking with the Best Kept Secret of the Appalachian Trail by Editors of St. Lynn’s Press and published by St. Lynn’s Press, 2012. Purchase this book from our store: RAMPS: The Cookbook.