Remember those fantastically delicious ramps that I was gifted? You know, the ones I wrote about here and then again here? I decided to pickle some of them and they are lovely! It’s about as simple as it gets and will give you the ability to use the flavor of ramps long after their season has ended. How would I use these little pickles? They would be delicious sliced into a salad or pasta, finely minced over broiled salmon or as a garnish to a perfect Bloody Mary! Frankly, you could eat them right out of the jar and nobody would bat an eye… Unless you didn’t share. Then they would bat eyes! I’m sure of it 🙂

You will need the following:

• 1 1/4 cups white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp raw cane sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 pound ramp bulbs, about 3″ in length (reserve the tops for salads, pastas or pesto! Recipe to come!
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tsp mustard seed
• 2 heaping tsp black peppercorn

Directions:

1. Place the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer and keep hot.
2. Trim the root end of the ramps and peel off the sometimes slimy outer skin.
3. Place two sterilized 1/2 pint jars on a clean tea towel. Add two bay leaves to each jar. Sprinkle in half of the mustard seed in each and half of the black peppercorn.
4. Divide the ramp bulbs between the jars, bulb side down. Pour the hot vinegar pickling liquid, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
5. Cover with lids and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.

You can eat these immediately but I recommend letting them pickle for a couple weeks. The flavor will really infuse and intensify. Once you’ve eaten all of the ramps, toss a couple peeled hard boiled eggs into the pickling liquid. In a couple days you will have an astounding snack! Swearing Mom out.