It is that time of year! The snow (dare I say such a bad word) is gone and, thanks to incessant rainfall, everything is green and full of color. In other words, spring has finally sprung.
I went to the first farmers market of the year here on Grand Island. It was held on Memorial Day in the evening. I went there looking for rhubarb, but it had already been sold. Instead, I bought a cherry tomato plant, which got a name (Sherry the Cherry) and two batches of wild leeks. They are also known as ramps.
Ramps are a member of the same family as onions and garlic. Their taste is somewhere between those two magnificent root vegetables. Their botanical name is allium triocuum.
In addition to being related to onions, garlic, scallions, and leeks, they are also related to the flower that is called allium. I have a few of those flowers in my garden. They have big purple bulbs with multiple flowerets and they are very tall.
So… ramps. Their season is very short. You only have a short amount of time to enjoy ramps. Therefore, I have become a fan of ramps in a variety of foods.
Here are some of the foods that I prepared with ramps as an ingredient:
- hummus. Instead of garlic, I added a few ramps.
- pasta with shrimp, yellow squash, mushrooms, and ramps.
- omelette with mushrooms and ramps.
- cream of mushroom soup, with ramps replacing the onion.
- sliced chicken breast with ramps and mushrooms with a butter-lemon-white wine sauce.
Those all sound yummy! Glad your spring has finally sprung. And good to see you again.
It's exciting when fresh veggies finally start coming in, isn't it?
I don't think I ever ate a ramp- nor did I ever consider the use of onions in mushroom soup.
So glad your snow is finally gone! Nothing better than a trip to the farmers market!