The ground in the woods is still brown with last year’s leaves, but here and there, along the creek beds, the girls and I find wide swaths of wild ramps, just begging for a spring harvest. We’ve been carrying a shovel and bag on our walks to bring home this delectable spring treasure. Here’s one of our favorite treats this week…
Serves 4
1 bunch ramps (about 6 oz)
2 medium potatoes, diced
6 cups bone broth
8 oz heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Wash ramps and remove root hairs. Deice off root ends and add them to the soup pot. Finely dice green leaves and set aside. Add potatoes to the soup pot. Cover potatoes and ramp roots with broth and simmer until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Pour the soup into a blender, add the cream or coconut milk, and puree until smooth.
Pour the soup back into the pot. Stir in salt and pepper and gently re-warm. Stir in the diced ramp leaves and simmer 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
*As a super-tasty variation, dice up 2 ounces of bacon and sauté it in the soup pot. Once it is cooked, remove the bacon and set aside. Add the potatoes and ramp roots to the bacon fat and sauté briefly before adding the broth. Continue with the recipe as written, but garnish the soup with the cooked bacon bits.
So…can we have a bit of a primer on ramps, for those of us who are more likely to pick a Giant Hogweed because we know from nothing?
Either that or I’m coming to dinner.
You’ll know it when you smell it! In the UK we know it as ‘wild garlic’ and you should smell it before you see it. I usually find it along riverbanks or near streams xx