The Doylestown Farmers Market is open for the season! Let's talk about Ramps and Spinach.

Ramps are here again! As fleeting as the daffodils in the meadow and as fussy as a French black truffle, this curious Spring ephemeral is delicate and delicious. Ramps are part of the allium family along with onions, garlic, chives and leeks. Ramps are often referred to as wild leeks or wild garlic, and while they share DNA, ramps are really their own unique” thing” worth getting to know. With thick green leaves the size of your hand, a white neck and bulb end like a scallion, ramps do have a unique flavor that, in my opinion, is a mixture of onion, leek, garlic, and fresh grass (in a good way!). 

Ramps don’t love being cultivated. They are predominantly wild and thus foraged, though I have had luck with the ramps I  planted in previous years returning every Spring since then. The trick is looking after them for 5 to 8 years to give them time to think about the possibility of multiplying. I haven’t seen that yet in my garden. So this year I will plant more. 

Once you get your ramps home, make sure they are dry,  wrap them loosely in a paper towel, place in a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to three days max. There are lots of ways to cook and enjoy ramps. The leaves are fairly fibrous so be sure to finely chop them and cook them well to break them down for maximum enjoyment. Here are some suggestions: chopped and sauteed, made into a compound butter, grilled whole, or pickled white parts. And I recommend all of these ways to enjoy and extend the season. Start by pickling the white part (cut off the roots) in a jar of Jersey Pickles pickle brine and store in the refrigerator to enjoy through the end of May. Finely chop a leaf or two and mix with a stick of soft salted butter to form a compound butter and store in the freezer to enjoy for up to 6 months. Chop the rest of the leaves as needed, saute and add to potatoes, pasta, or rice. You can also put a leaf or two in the blender to create a green sauce with olive oil to top chicken, steak or fish. And finally, grill them whole to enjoy alongside your meal. 

Spinach is another Spring favorite and cool weather staple. Spinach is in the Amaranth/Goosefoot Botanical family along with beets, chard and quinoa. Spinach does contain oxalates so if you have or are prone to kidney stones, it’s best to eat your spinach cooked. The high iron content of spinach is well known and it also provides high amounts of vitamins A and C.

This season I’m going to talk a lot about Botanical families and companion plantings, because these two details often guide compatibility on the plate. The companion plantings for spinach are; strawberries (makes total sense because who doesn’t love a Strawberry & Spinach Salad?), onions, nasturtiums, peas and beans, chard, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes and peppers.  These companions provide nitrogen fixation in the soil, natural pest control, and help suppress weeds.  Admittedly, I’ve never cooked spinach with cabbage or cauliflower. But now I will look for ways to do that! Room temperature beets on top of cold spinach with cucumbers topped with feta cheese is a powerful daily vitamin salad with added calcium. Alternatively,  all of those ingredients chopped on top of warm quinoa packs on the protein.  

Enjoy all of this homegrown goodness for better health and the start to a delicious season! See you at the farmers market, every Saturday, rain or shine form 8am to 1pm on South Hamilton Street in Doylestown Borough between West Oakland Ave and West State Street.