We wrote this article back in 2020, and still continue to dehydrate our ramps this way!
Allium Tricoccum aka ramps is a wild onion found in North America. Ramps hearken the arrival of spring to Ohio. There is something incredibly special about the dirty, oniony smell during the first harvest. It’s a sign of new life, time to put away the winter gear and get ready for the spring and summer ahead. When ramps are in season we make sure whatever we harvest is put to good use. A favorite way to preserve ramps is to dehydrate them for use all year long! Every time I open one of my mason jars of dried ramps I’m reminded of the first warmth of spring and it always puts a smile on my face.
Use Your Favorite Dehydrator
First, you need to gather a dehydrator. Drying ramps is very easy to do. I like to use a dehydrator for preserving my ramps. You can dry ramps in your oven as well, but it may take a little longer to complete the process. We absolutely love our Excalibur Dehydrator and use it on a regular basis. The dehydrator is set to 155 degrees Fahrenheit and we allow the ramps to dehydrate for 4-6 hours.
Prepare Your Ramps
Next, get your ramps dehydrator ready by cleaning the ramps and removing any roots from the bulb of the ramp. The batch of ramps we recently dehydrated, I cleaned and trimmed them back in early spring, vacuum sealed and froze them until recently (it has been a wildly busy year, to say the least). After the ramps are all clean, I run them through the food processor, bulbs, and leaves. You want to pulse the ramps until they are close to a pesto texture, finely chopped.
After you have processed your ramps in the food processor, spread the ramps in a thin layer on your dehydrator tray. I like to use pieces of parchment paper to spread the chopped ramps on. Place your trays in your dehydrator, and start the timer for 4 hours. Don’t worry if your ramps aren’t dry after 4 hours, you can add more time to ensure they are completely dry.
Making Ramp Powder
When your chopped ramps are completely dried, allow them to cool a bit. You will now have a solid sheet of dried ramps. Break the “sheet” into pieces, and again run through a food processor or food chopper. You want a fine texture. Store the dehydrated in mason jars, making sure the jar is sealed from any moisture.
You can use the dehydrated ramps just as you would dried onions or garlic in your favorite recipe. It’s amazing that a simple Spring plant can turn into a wonderful culinary treat!
