Rampin Up for Wild Ramp Compound Butter

For approximately 3 glorious weeks in late April to mid May wild ramps are at their prime across New England. With such a short harvesting window and the fact that my patch is a solid 3.5 hour round-trip drive, I typically forage them only one day every year.

Picking sustainably is key for ramps, as so many wild patches have been over harvested. My method is to pick the leaves and leave the bulbs. The leaves hold the majority of that rich, leeky-garlic flavor. I simply pluck one leaf per plant and only pick about 30% of the plants I see.

Once home it’s a mad dash to preserve these utterly delicious beauties. Ramp salt, ramp sauerkraut and ramp infused vinegar are just a few of my favorite ways to celebrate this wondrous allium.

Another favorite? Compound ramp butter! Compound butter is a simple and tasty way to preserve foraged herbs, especially wild ramps! Store it in your fridge for 2 to 3 weeks or freeze it to enjoy all year long.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks of salted butter
• 1 lemon
• 2 cups of ramp leaves

Instructions

Rinse the ramps, then separate out about half of them to use raw. Finely chop the raw ramps.

In a pot, quickly blanch the other half of the ramps then transfer them to an ice water bath. Once cooled, squeeze the water out, then chop them finely.

Add the cooked and raw ramps to a blender along with lemon zest and a few squirts of lemon juice and blend.

Slowly add in your room temperature butter and mix.

Using Saran Wrap or parchment paper, scoop out spoonfuls of butter, then tightly wrap and label them.

Store in fridge for 2-3 weeks, or keep in freezer for up to 2 years. Enjoy melted over steak, fish, chicken, or on rice, pasta, bread, etc.