If you are fortunate enough to live in a rainy, forest-y type of climate, you might have easy access to ramps. A reader told me just the other day that in West Virginia they’re so abundant that people don’t know what to do with them. How lucky!

I was lucky enough to score a bunch of ramps and did all sorts of things with them, including making this butter. Ramp butter is a dream. Let’s start with the basics. What do ramps taste like? They’re garlicky but not in an overpowering spicy way. The notes are gentle yet strong enough.

They’re a delightful flavor and can be added to so many things. This butter is great because it prolongs the life of ramps. I say put this on everything: biscuits, bread, add it to eggs…just everything.

Another thing that I’ve found with ramps is that they’re extremely dirty. Think leeks but more dirt! I like to submerge my ramps in a bowl of ice water and really scrub them. After that, they’re a breeze to cook with!

Ramp Butter

Ramp butter is a dream. Not too garlicky yet enough to add flavor to a slice of toast. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 6 ramps, cleaned
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• A few rounds of freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Prepare an ice bath and set it aside. We’re going to use this for the ramps.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and drop the ramps in the water, blanching them for about 30 seconds. Remove them from the hot water and immediately transfer them to the ice water. Remove the ramps and place them on a bed of paper towels, pressing them to remove as much water as possible. Mince up the bulbs and green leaves.
3. To a small bowl, add the butter, minced bulbs and green leaves, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix and mash until completely combined. Drop the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper and form into a log. Tie the ends with twine and transfer to the fridge to chill.
4. Serve with bread, crackers, radishes and more! Will last in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.