Editor’s Note: In our new recipe section, we ask some of our favorite vendors to share their secrets. This week, Chef Shack from Minneapolis shows us how to pickle ramps – a skill which I’m certain will impress any mom on Mother’s Day! Ramps, as you may know, are wild leeks and are currently in season. (I’ve been seeing them everywhere these past few weeks, especially on pizza!) Is there a favorite street food you’d like us to recreate or whip up yourself? Email me at amy@vendr.tv to get your street food recipe on VendrTV.

Chef Shack says: “For Mother’s Day, we’re pickling wild spring ramps. They go with any dish on the table!”

Pickled Ramps

You’ll need

• 1 lb cleaned, fresh wild ramps
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. each of hard pickling spice (cinnamon, coriander, juniper berry, star anise, and cardamom)
• Canning equipment: glass jar, self-sealing ring, jar lid. (Editor’s Note: Readers who’ve never canned anything before, like myself, might want to invest in an inexpensive home canning starter kit. I’ve seen the Ball® Canning Discovery Kit in action and it’s kinda nifty.)

Instructions

1. Clean and soak wild ramps in cold water.
2. Trim root ends and scrub free of soil. Leave whole.
3. Sterilize jars or pickling container and set them aside. Place the raw, prepped ramps in jars while you prepare the pickling liquid in Step #4.
4. Pour vinegar, sugar, water, and spices in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring the mix to a rolling boil for 3 minutes.
5. Carefully pour the hot liquid mix over the ramps in jars and place self-sealing ring and top on each jar.
6. Cook the sealed jars in your canner for approximately 15 minutes. Keep a minimum of 2 inches of water boiling over the jars during cooking time.
7. Remove the ramp-filled jars from the hot water. Cool for 24 hours.

The Chef Shack
Various locations throughout Minneapolis, MN

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