Ramps will always hold a special place in our hearts. This wild member of the allium (onion) family is perhaps one of nature’s most fleeting gifts. What was a cult following has grown in popularity over the years, thanks in no small part to farmers letting local chefs and farmers’ market devotees in on this delicious secret. Ramps are an idyllic blend of all the best flavors that the allium family has to offer. They boast the pungency of garlic, the bite of white onion and the tenderness of chives all in one small, leafy green bulb. I am certain that their appeal is only bolstered by the fact that their window of life is so brief and that they are indeed wild; farmers can’t cultivate ramps, ramps choose their homes. And Foxhollow, Maggie’s family farm, just happens to be one such lucky forested swath of land.
Lindsey and Maggie hiking for ramps in The Pilot Episode of The Farmer and The Foodie
It was the ramp that drew me out of my downtown condo and to Foxhollow’s verdant grounds years ago, Maggie inviting me for a hike to harvest this special crop, which was unfamiliar to me at the time. You can read all about our adventure in a blog post I wrote at the time (here), my love for the ramp instant. The ramp also happened to be the inspiration for our pilot episode of The Farmer & The Foodie, which can be seen here. You’ll watch us make a ramp pesto potato salad in this episode; however this is just the beginning of what you can do with the almighty ramp. We’re particularly fond of folding minced ramps into scrambled eggs, using the leafy green ends as garnish, pickling the bulbs, and pairing them with any number of spring’s culinary gifts, like this recipe for pasta with carrot purée or this go-to for Foxhollow flat iron steak with ramp chimichurri. The options are endless but the timeline is brief - claim your very own ramps from Foxhollow via convenient curbside pickup (details here) and don’t forget to share your recipes with us.
Happy spring and happy cooking!
Lindsey (AKA Foodie Girl)
Ramps just harvested in the woods alongside Harrods Creek