Vegetables and How I Cook Them: Ramps

For more and more of us, ramps (or wild leeks) are the harbingers of spring. Ramps are some of the first green leaves to pop out of the ground, sometimes even when there is still a light blanket of snow in the woods. After winter they are a welcome sign that, despite clouds and lasting frozen precipitation, things will grow again.

Members of the allium (onion) family, ramps share all the characteristics of that group. They differ from those cultivated varieties in their untamed smell and tender leaves—epitomizing both the intense flavor and the delicate texture found in the family.