11 replies to this topic

[jagermonster]

We picked a bunch the other day, so I'm going to make a compound butter today.
What are some things you do with ramps?

[Jesse D]

What the hey is a ramp?

[deadheadskier]

Sell them....a lot of them. Chefs in the Northeast pay $12 a pound for them.

[deadheadskier]

What the hey is a ramp?

a very strong wild leek. It's a spring delicacy, kind of like fiddleheads are.

[mountain mama]

We hunt ramps too!! A couple years ago we pickled a jar and they were delish! Generally we add them to potatoes, omelets, sometimes just cook them up and serve as a side. Compound butter sounds amazing!

[HoopsTer]

I love fiddleheads!
Ive never heard of ramps before though.

[deadheadskier]

I love fiddleheads!
Ive never heard of ramps before though.

I hadn't either until I moved to West Virginia, but they grow all the way from S. Carolina up to Canada. Super potent stuff. I went to a ramp festival in Elkins, WV and wreaked like the stuff for days


Paw Paws were another regional cuisine I learned about on my NE hiatus when I lived in Southeast Ohio. Lots of vegetarians in the area used them as a fat substitute in their cooking.

[jagermonster]

Sell them....a lot of them. Chefs in the Northeast pay $12 a pound for them.

no shiz?!
i wonder how to ship them and have them stay fresh....

mama, same here, i like them in everything. but, i also use garlic in pretty much everything, so it's no surprise.
i like the idea of the butter because we can keep the ramps for much longer, i'll let you know how it turns out. we'll be making it and some beer later on today.

and pawpaws are soooo good, but they don't turn up until fall, right?

[deadheadskier]

no shiz?!
i wonder how to ship them and have them stay fresh....

mama, same here, i like them in everything. but, i also use garlic in pretty much everything, so it's no surprise.
i like the idea of the butter because we can keep the ramps for much longer, i'll let you know how it turns out. we'll be making it and some beer later on today.

and pawpaws are soooo good, but they don't turn up until fall, right?

late summer / early fall. the place i rented in ohio had paw paw trees everywhere. I got there at the end of the season and didn't no what to think, thought there was some sort of funky lime trees in my yard

to be honest they were kind of a nusaince. I busted ass some many times stepping on them in the yard while playing frisbee with my dog.

as for the ramps, if you know of a big patch, I'd call a produce company like Baldor in NYC. They'd probably pay you $5-7 a pound for them and all you need to do is overnight them in a cooler box with ice packs. I know my company has a steady stream, but we sell literally a thousand pounds of them a week this time of year at $12 a pound.

[mountain mama]

yea, the pawpaws, i was all wtf too!

so, jagermonster, how'd the butter turn out? and home made beer? yum! i relate to the garlic, husband and i always put in at least a bulb in everything! ah, the stinkin rose!!

[wowzers]

I love the butter, but I think she gets tired of it. Beer is about to go in the keg tomorrow. It took a little longer to ferment than normal. A whole bulb?

[MeOmYo]

Picked 4 quarts of ramps (never heard of that before, always just called them leeks) on Sunday and pickled them tonight. A couple patches around here I've picked from that past few years, they seem to like eastern facing maple hillsides. Going back this weekend to get some more.