And it’s so brief a season, at that, so I’m posting a couple recipes in one, today! I’ll be incorporating both of these recipes into my Summer in Faerie final feast, so keep an eye out for those over on Patreon!
While compound butters, as we know them today, rose to fame in later French kitchens, the roots of this dish stretch much further back. In medieval Europe, wild alliums like garlic, leeks, and ramps (often called ramsons) were treasured as some of the first green foods to appear after the long, hungry winter.
Medieval herbals praised these pungent greens for their power to “strengthen the stomach” and “cleanse the blood,” and foragers gathered them eagerly in spring, blending them into broths, cheeses, and simple spreads. Though the form has changed, the spirit remains the same: a celebration of spring’s sharp, wild flavors, captured in a humble and magical preparation. They were famously mentioned in the 10th c. Old English 9 Herbs Charm as an antidote to snake venom, and The Grete Herball (1526, English translation of earlier French/German herbals) mentions ramsons as “very hote and drye, maketh men of hole stomacke”.
Ramps (as ramsons) also appear pretty frequently in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, although he appears to have not been a big fan of them, and generally relegates them to snacks for weasels and rats on the move.
For my own part, I am always so excited to see them in spring. They are one of the very first forage-able foods I can harvest up in Vermont after what often feels like an interminable winter. Both the aroma and flavor are sharp, which pairs so well with the richness of a good butter and salt. When harvesting, remember to pick sparingly, and only take a single leaf from each plant to allow them to grow and spread the following season!
Ramp Compound Butter RecipeThis ramp butter is one of the first joys of the spring foraging season—sharp, savory, and almost electric in its greenness. It’s equally at home melting over roasted mushrooms, smeared on fresh bread, or tucked into a packet of hot coals to roast fish or roots. Poppy claims it makes her boots lighter on the road. Nibs is not so sure.
Makes: About 1/2 cup
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: None
Pairs well with: warm flatbread, roast trout, boiled potatoes, eggs
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2–3 ramp leaves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- pinch of salt
In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with a spoon until smooth. Blend in the finely chopped ramp leaves, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Spoon into a ramekin or roll into a log in waxed paper. Chill until firm, or transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for several months.
Ramp Salt Recipe
This one is so easy to make, it almost feels like cheating! But the end result is this delicious, garlicky salt that infuses everything it touches with wild flavor.
Makes: as much as you like!
Prep: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- ramp leaves, freshly picked
- about 1 Tbs. good salt for each leaf
In the bowl of a mortar, grind together the ramp leaves and salt until you have a vibrantly green salt with no large pieces of plant left. Set in an oven on its lowest setting to allow to dry, then transfer to a sealed jar. Enjoy!
