One of the most revered spring wild edibles is the wild ramp, Allium tricoccum, a North American member of the garlic/onion family that is found the eastern United States and eastern Canada. A truly seasonal delight, one of the easiest ways to preserve ramps is to make a wild ramp pesto. I’ll share my recipe below, my favorite way to preserve ramp pesto, as well as some ways to enjoy wild ramp pesto year-round!

Is it Ethical to Harvest Wild Ramps?

But first, let’s talk about an important issue related to wildcrafting – ethical harvesting.

Wild ramps are a slow growing perennial whose habitat, hardwood forests, is at risk from logging and/or development. In addition, a renewed interest in wild edibles, both by home foragers and by restaurants and markets, has meant that ramps are at risk of over-harvest. 

You may live in an area that has specific parameters around ramp harvest, but if you do not, here are a few guidelines for ethical wild harvesting: 

1. Know the status of the plant in your area. For instance, according to the United Plant Savers website, ramps are a species of Special Concern in Maine, Rhode Island, and Tennessee, and the variety Burdickii is listed as endangered in New York, and Threatened in Tennessee.
2. Harvest only the leaf, rather than the entire plant. Ramp leaves are delicious on their own.
3. Harvest only one leaf per plant so the plant can continue to grow, reproduce, etc. 
4. Mindfully harvest no more than 1 leaf per 10 plants (or less).
5. If you have the ability, consider cultivating and replanting ramps.

Read More >> Foraged Food: How to Safely Enjoy Wild Edibles

We are fortunate to live in an area with abundant ramps. With careful harvesting techniques, we can easily harvest enough ramp leaves for my family to enjoy fresh, and to preserve for year-round eating.

Wild Ramp Pesto Recipe

My favorite way to enjoy and preserve ramps is in wild ramp pesto. Pesto is incredibly versatile – you can add it to sandwiches, soups, etc. – and it also freezes well, so it’s easy to make and use in small batches.

Best of all, pesto is infinitely customizable. I have given ingredients and quantities for a basic wild ramp pesto, one that highlights the ramps themselves. But if you’d prefer, you can add nuts, cheese, or other greens to create your own pesto. 

Ingredients

6 handfuls of wild ramp leaves
2 tsp sea salt, plus extra for blanching water
1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

A note: I have found that using all fresh ramp leaves can lead to a vampire-killing intensity. One of my husband’s co-workers suggested blanching some of the leaves in salt water to mellow the flavor a bit. If you like your pesto intense, by all means, adjust the ratios I’ve given and use more fresh leaves and fewer blanched leaves. The recipe I’ve shared makes a nicely balanced, but still rampy pesto.

To Make:

1) Divide your ramp leaves into 6 handfuls. We will reserve 2 handfuls fresh, and blanch the remaining 4 handfuls.

2) Prepare a medium sized pot of salted, boiling water. In small batches, blanch the ramp leaves for 20 seconds, or until bright green in color, and lightly wilted. Immediately plunge into ice cold water to cool, and then transfer to a clean dish towel to dry.

3) Place the blanched and fresh ramp leaves into a food processor, along with the salt, olive oil, and lemon juice (and any other additional ingredients you like, such as grated parmesan, toasted walnuts, black pepper, etc.). Process until the pesto is smooth, adding more olive oil, as needed.

4) Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste

How to Freeze Ramp Pesto

This recipe makes a few cups of wild ramp pesto. I like to reserve some for fresh eating and preserve the rest.

Ramp pesto freezes very well and stores in the freezer for 9-12 months – enough to last you until the next ramp season!

One method is to freeze pesto in ice cube trays, and then transfer the frozen cubes into plastic freezer bags. If you plan to use your ramp pesto in soups or other recipes, this method is a great choice because it’s easy to pop or or two cubes into the recipe. However, I find that the cubes get freezer burn after 6 months of storage.

My preferred method of freezing wild ramp pesto is to pack them into small (4 oz) mason jars. These stack well in the freezer and store well for up to a year.

How to Cook With and Use Ramp Pesto

Ramp pesto has a more intensely garlic-oniony flavor than your traditional basil pesto, but it too is very versatile and can be used in a number of recipes. Here are some of my favorite ways to use ramp pesto:

• Mix it with mayonaise to make a ramp aioli
• Whip it up with some olive oil and vinegar to make a ramp pesto vinaigrette
• Fold it into chevre or fromage blanc for an extraordinarily delicious cheese dip or spread
• Spread it on grilled cheese, panini, or your favorite sandwich
• Add it to hearty soups or stews
• Add a few dollops to your favorite lasagna recipe
• Top your homemade pizza with ramp pesto
• Add it to risotto or pasta
• Dollop some ramp pesto in frittatas or quiche

Basically, use some ramp pesto any time your recipe would benefit from an extra kick of garlic-oniony flavor!

I hope this has inspired you to make a batch of wild ramp pesto and get creative in the kitchen with it! Here are a few more spring pesto recipes to enjoy:

Cilantro Pesto Recipe

Spring Pesto with Chickweed and Green Garlic

Yield: 2-3 cups

Wild Ramp Pesto Recipe

Print

A delicious seasonal recipe that captures the garlic-oniony kick of ramps to enjoy all year!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 handfuls of wild ramp leaves
• 2 tsp sea salt, plus extra for blanching water
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Divide your ramp leaves into 6 handfuls. We will reserve 2 handfuls fresh, and blanch the remaining 4 handfuls.
2. Prepare a medium sized pot of salted, boiling water. In small batches, blanch the ramp leaves for 20 seconds, or until bright green in color, and lightly wilted. Immediately plunge into ice cold water to cool, and then transfer to a clean dish towel to dry.
3. Place the blanched and fresh ramp leaves into a food processor, along with the salt, olive oil, and lemon juice (and any other additional ingredients you like, such as grated parmesan, toasted walnuts, black pepper, etc.). Process until the pesto is smooth, adding more olive oil, as needed.
4. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste

Notes

I have found that using all fresh ramp leaves can lead to a vampire-killing intensity. One of my husband's co-workers suggested blanching some of the leaves in salt water to mellow the flavor a bit. If you like your pesto intense, by all means, adjust the ratios I've given and use more fresh leaves and fewer blanched leaves. The recipe I've shared makes a nicely balanced, but still rampy pesto.