Ramp greens pesto

Bright, vibrant, and full of onion and garlic flavor, this ramp greens pesto is a delicious way to add spring flavor to pasta, pizza, chicken, and more.

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What are ramps? Ramps are a wild leek found in the eastern U.S. and Canada. They have bright green leaves which come up in April and have a bulb that tastes like a combination of onion and garlic. 

Ramps are only around for a short period of time and using the greens to make a pesto is the perfect way to enjoy this spring wild edible.

This recipe is made with the green leaves of ramps. Ramps leaves last until mid to late May, depending on the weather and your location. After that, they will turn yellow and are no longer good for eating.

Ramps have become very popular and trendy over the past few years. I've even seen them available at the grocery store in recent years. My husband's family has been collecting them on their land for many, many years and that is where we get some each year. We do not collect from public lands and leave many to continue to grow. 

The best and most sustainable way to collect ramps is to cut the leaves only. If you take the bulb, you should cut it and leave the roots. We take a few bulbs, but try to leave the majority of them as the leaves are quite delicious and full of the onion/garlic ramp flavor. 

You can find out more about ramps here and more information about sustainable harvesting here.  As with all wild edibles, you want to be as responsible as possible to ensure that they continue to grow in healthy populations.

When you collect your ramp greens, make sure to give them a good wash in cold water when you get home and then set them out on a kitchen towel to dry. 

After they are dry, you can store the ramp greens in the refrigerator in a plastic food storage bag (add a paper towel to soak up any excess moisture) or in a plastic vegetable keeper for a few days. However, it's best to use them shortly after picking to ensure they are still firm, green, and flavorful.

Once you've made your pesto, you can use it in a variety of ways, just like basil pesto. I like to use it as a pizza sauce for a cheese pizza, or a pasta sauce. I also like to stir a couple tablespoons of pesto into an Alfredo sauce. You can thin it out with more olive oil or pasta water, too, to make a thinner sauce. 

Ramp greens pesto is also terrific on chicken, fish, or pork. Use it on a crusty bread to bake and make a delicious green garlic bread. The color and flavor just scream spring! 

Yield: about 1 cup

Ramp Greens Pesto

Bright, vibrant, and full of onion and garlic flavor, this ramp greens pesto is a delicious way to add spring flavor to pasta, pizza, chicken, and more. Ramps are only around for a short period of time and using the greens to make a pesto is the perfect way to enjoy this spring wild edible.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups firmly packed roughly chopped ramp greens
• 4-5 ramp bulbs (or 2 garlic cloves)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• about 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Place the ramp greens, bulbs/garlic, lemon juice, walnuts, salt, and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture begins to get smooth. Pulse in the Parmesan.
2. Turn the food processor on low and begin to slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and your desired consistency.
3. Use on top of pizzas, as a pasta sauce, on chicken or fish, etc. Store in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze and thaw before using.

Notes:

It is sometimes recommended to blanch the leaves before using, especially if you are going to freeze them, to help keep the pesto bright green. I find the lemon juice works fine and the color is fine as is. I use walnuts here, but pine nuts, almonds, and others may also work well. You can make the pesto without the cheese as well. It will be thinner, but still delicious.

Created using The Recipes Generator

If you find yourself with ramps, I hope you give this a try! Let me know in the comments below.

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Check out these other ramp and foraging recipes:

Honey Dandelion Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Dandelion Muffins

Creamy Potato and Ramp Soup

Roasted Maple Blueberries