Homemade Wild Ramp Pesto [Foraged and Delicious AF]
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?
Wow! That looks fantastic! I keep thinking I'm going to be brave and use some of the purslane growing around here but then I freak out and am afraid I'm going to poison myself!
Have you ever used purslane?
Also, check out the homesteading tag on here - there are a lot of great articles about other foraged food.
The Welcome Wagon
Rollin in to say Hi!
i am laughing sooooooooo hard... i feel the SAME way @tamala!!!!! all this stuff growing around and for sure -i'll be like that guy from Into the Wild. (hahahahaha - i think that was the name of the movie) LOLOLOL
so - i'll get my cool stuff from the farmer's market. and leave the foraging to people who aren't going to die from experimentation ;)
Oh my that looks sooo good!!!! I love a good pesto with an anti pasto platter - not sure if I can find that wild in New Zealand though lol - I'd have to google it :)
@andysantics48
please be careful. we need you on the RV ;)
OMG! This looks delicious! It must feel so satisfying to forage for your ingredients. How did you sun dry your tomatoes? They sound yummy.
Well, technically they're not "sun dried" since I did em in dehydrator... but they're so good! They kept their flavor for about 4-5 years dried and in mason jars in the freezer.
i did "dried" in a 200 degree oven and they were DELICIOUS. not sure if sun-drying makes them taste any better but great substitute in my opinion :)
Keep up the amazing posts @davidkrantz! You're making this an easy choice for us! :)
thanks @welcomewagon!
We eat those in my county too but some people got poisoned because the plant looks similar to lily of the valley that is poisonous. Luckily my father always knew the difference and makes a great ramps pesto. He always adds almonds but cashier nuts are good too. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
Yes very similar leaf shape, we have those here too and it's pretty easy to mistake the two if you don't know what to look for. The stems are a dead giveway though, with ramps having round red true stems and the lillies having flatter leaflike peudostems all the way down to the roots.
peudostems.... this is why you're the expert. and i am not ;)
Forage away, my intelligent friend! hehehe
seeeeeeee THIS is the reason why we don't do this @tamala. people DO get poisoned!!!! LOL that would for sure be me!!!!
i'll just look at it and drool and wait for some of this yummy looking stuff to show up in the farmer's market LOL
@zen-art - i'm glad your dad knew the difference :)
I love colors and it can't get any better than this 😉 lol
@saffisara
This looks really delicious and I love these kinds of food.... Got me all hungry 😋
Really amazing pictures and I loved everything about this.... sneaks in and steals a little bite
😁😁Hahaha
Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful week. Cheers! 🌸
So that's what they're called -- ramp. Good to know. I got a bunch of them right now the fridge, the pesto sounds like something I can put together today.
Thanks for the inspiration.
no it cannot lol
its missing those funny little knobby things. and if you make anything with ramp. send me some!! david is not sharing. LOLOLOL
Well. Now I'm starving!!!! LOLOL This looks colorful, beautiful, and probably has the most incredible taste!!!
so.... how much are you selling some for??? ;) because I NEEEEEEEED IIIIIIIIIIT. lololol @tamala..... are you drooling yet??? :)
Haha not for sale unfortunately. Perhaps next year I'll make enough ;)
mm hmmm. i see how it is. :)
tempt us. make us crave. then deny us.
i've got your number now david!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL
either way - it looks absolutely to die for :)
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https://steemit.com/steemit/@prometheusrisen/beware-of-smartsteem-scam
Looks delicious my dude! Never heard of using wood sorrel to replace lemons.
@seedtostage I hadn't either til I tried this on the fly, worked great.