Homemade Wild Foraged Ramp Pesto Day!
Ramps are a member of the allium family (think garlic and onions) that are found only the southern Appalachian region. They have a distinctive sweetness to them that hits your tastebuds before the garlicky bite shows up. Such a delicacy.
They’re not typically commercially cultivated because they have a symbiotic relationship with forest soil that’s very difficult to mimic in a farm setting. They show up in farmstands here in southern Appalachia about a month and then ramp season is done.
I harvested a TON yesterday from one of my favorite hiking spots nearby and made 5 lbs of pesto that I’ll freeze for the year. I used a TON of olive oil for healthy monounsaturated fat and used the last of my sun-dried tomatoes I made about 4 years ago when I decided to grow 20+ tomato plants. Yes, they've lasted that long and it felt really good to use them in such a special recipe.
I added wild foraged wood sorrel (it grows literally everywhere around here) for a subtle lemony zing. The oxalic acid in the leaves adds a nice acidic balance. It was a perfect substitute when I realized I had forgot to buy lemons at the store.
I made three varieties and will be freezing them into small single serving jars so I can defrost them to make just 1 or 2 dishes with at a time. This hopefully will last til next year.
Dinner that night was a scoop of sundried tomato ramp and walnut pesto and a scoop of rosemary walnut and capers ramp pesto over cauliflower rice, king oyster (pleurotis enryngii), cabbage, steamed kale, and shaved carrots. So good! ✨
What are your favorite local wild delicacies?