Ramp Butter + Pickles (Preserving Ramps)

It’s Spring which means one thing here in Chicago (besides the fact that the harsh “Chiberian” winter is behind us) Ramps are here! Sustainably foraging, preserving and cooking with ramps are all things that we’ll cover in this year’s Ramp adventure installment. Big thanks to Michael for showing us all a side of the forest that I didn’t know existed! Go check him out on Instagram. Forage on! 🤘🏻 Adam

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Preserving Ramps! (Pickles and Butter)

IngredientsUSMetric

Ramp Butter

• 1 cup Blanched Ramp leaves, sliced into strips
• 1 cup fresh Ramp leaves, sliced into strips
• 4 sticks of Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice, chilled
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Kosher Salt

Soy "Quick" Pickles

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 1/4 cups Soy Sauce
• 1 1/4 cups Rice Wine Vinegar

Classic "Quick" Pickles

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 cups White Wine Vinegar
• 1 cup Distilled White Vinegar

Instructions

Ramp Butter

1. Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and bring to room temperature.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch a cup of the ramp leaves for 5 seconds, just until wilted, then shock in ice water.
3. Squeeze the leaves dry, then add them to the food processor with the raw leaves. Pulse the leaves to smooth out slightly then gradually add the butter pieces 1 chunk at a time processing to make a smooth paste. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread the butter into some plastic wrap, parchment paper or plop into a resealable container.

Soy and Classic "Quick" Pickles

1. Add the prepared ramp bulbs to a heat-tempered glass jar with a sealable lid.
2. Bring all the liquids from the recipe to a simmer, add the salt and/or sugar and stir until it’s completely dissolved in the liquid. Remove from heat and pour over ramps, screw the lid on the jar and let cool to room temperature. Store the pickles in the refrigerator. Let sit for 3 days before eating for best results.

Adam's Notes

• The Ramp butter will keep for a week in the fridge, and a couple months in the freezer.
• The butter should be solid for a week in the fridge or a few months in the freezer. Brownie points if you vacuum seal it for freshness when freezing.
• I like to keep my ramp pickles plain (without herbs or spices) to let the ramp flavor shine through, but go ahead and add hardy herbs and seeds/spices if you'd like to toy with the flavor profile.
• Traditional Jjangaji (Korean Soy Pickles) include radish, jalapeno, onion and garlic. Those would be nice additions in the soy pickles, but are totally optional. I like to keep my ramp pickles pure and 100% ramp-forward.