Saturday, June 12, 2010

Ramping Up for Our Vegetable CSA


I had (the best) intentions of blogging this post quite some time ago - you know, when ramps were actually in season and it was considered fashionable to spend the afternoon foraging for them.

However, technical difficulties (read: my beloved husband permanently damaged the monitor on our laptop, rendering it useless). I toyed with the idea of passing this one by (or saving it until next spring), but by then I will have forgotten this "recipe". Since this blog exists not only as a means of sharing our passion for local foods but also as an archive of recipes we may want to return to - I've decided to forge ahead (or should I say forage ahead).

Some of my earliest childhood memories involve ramps. My mom would send my sister and I off with our buckets and trowels to forage for ramps so she could make potato leek soup. I loved those foraging adventures....I still do. I can't think of a better way to welcome spring and bid farewell, for the time being, to a diet laden with winter root vegetables.

One of my favorite ways to eat ramps is to coat them with olive oil, sprinkle them with a dash of sea salt then toss them on the grille. They also make a FANTASTIC pesto sauce. Combine a healthy handful of greens (I highly recommend using the bulbs too) in your food precessor with 1/3 of a cup of pine nuts and a couple tablespoons of butter. Blend as you drizzle in olive oil until you obtain the desired consistency, then blend with 1/4 cup of imported, grated parmesan cheese and add salt to taste.

My favorite way to eat ramp pesto is mixed with some fresh (cooked) cheese tortellini and grilled chicken breast.
















Freeze any pesto you're not going to consume within the next few days - you'll appreciate it down the road when ramp season becomes a distant memory.

Bon appetit!

2 comments:

  1. Julie, this looks wonderful! I am ashamed to admit I have never seen a ramp in person. Obviously, I will have to get on them--next spring, I guess. Thanks for the inspiration. I hope the laptop and you are doing well.......

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  2. Yes, I need to come to a ramp foraging adventure with you!

    Sorry to hear about the demise of the laptop...

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