Ramps Announce Spring at the Market

This was my first sighting of Ramps at the Union Square market, the first green of the year, Fiddleheads are next!

In addition to the start of the growing seasons Ramps also are the start of the pickling and canning season.   One of my all time favorite pickles is a quick and easy Ramp Pickle care of David Chang.

Pickled Ramps   

Clean and trim 2 pounds of ramps, small early in the season ramps can pretty much be left whole, on the later in the season Ramps the green leaves should be trimmed to about an inch or so.  

These are refrigerator pickles, because rice vinegar doesn't have a high enough acidity for canning. I found these pickles can last several months in the fridge.

In a sauce pan bring 1 cup of water,  1/2 cup of Rice Vinegar, 6 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt to the boil, remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of Kochukaru (available in most Asian/Japanese/Korean grocery stores)  and 1 Tablespoon of white peppercorns to the brine  and pour over the ramps, which you will have packed into your favorite clean refrigerator pickle jar.

If you think you wont be able to eat these all in a month best to not pickle the greens which start to go soft after a month.