Sweet & Spicy Pickled Ramps Recipe on Food52 (2024)

You've probably heard it time and time again: Ramp season is a special season, but oh does it go by so quickly. They look like scallions, but their garlicky flavor makes them wonderful to have around and is a welcome sign of spring. But this is a way to make them last longer than the few weeks they are in season: Ramps make for terrific condiments and, it turns out, a terrific pickle. In this recipe, the sweet pickling liquid eases their feisty onion flavor and the spices hang in the back, there to support and nothing more. If you have a bunch of ramps and 10 minutes to spare, you can have a plentiful jar of ramp pickles at your fingertips.

Rebecca Firkser, assigning editor at Food52, loves ramps and wrote about them. She says, "With a slim bulb and a couple long, flat leaves, ramps, which grow in clumps, taste more pungent than scallions, yet less sharp than raw onion. But that still doesn’t quite put their majesty into words. Considering that there are a few Ramp Heads on the Food52 Editorial team, I asked for some help: 'They kind of taste like scallions on vacation. Like, if scallions were a little mellower and in a better mood, just having a good time and living their best life,' says CB Owens, copy editor. 'To me, ramps look like willowy scallions all dressed up in translucent pink stripes and feathery green headbands,' adds senior editor Jess Kapadia. 'If they were an indie rock band, they'd be called the Leafy Scallionettes, and they would shred.'” —The Editors

Directions

1. Wash the ramp bulbs very well, discarding any loose membrane around the bulb. Make sure the leaves and roots are trimmed away.
2. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar, sugar, chiles, coriander, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, and cloves to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, place the ramp bulbs in a clean, sanitized glass quart jar.
4. When the brine comes to a boil, carefully pour into the jar, covering the ramps. Leave at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar, then cap tightly. Let cool, then refrigerate for 3 days.
5. After 3 days, your ramps should be ready to enjoy on their own or as a condiment, but you can brine them for longer. They'll keep (chilled) for up to 5 months.