What's the best way to store ramps?

I bought some ramps at the farmer's market on Friday but was unable to use them this weekend. My fridge is pretty good at keeping produce fresh for a LONG time but something tells me that ramps are a bit more delicate than your typical produce. Any storage tips?

Peter
  • Posted by: Peter
  • May 2, 2011
  • 30961 views
  • 7 Comments

7 Comments

spuntino May 3, 2011
in my stomach!
 
ChefJune May 2, 2011
don't wash them until you're ready to use them, but do wrap them in a length of paper toweling and put them in the crisper. They'll keep as long as a week that way.
 
betteirene May 2, 2011
I forgot. . .if you make a compound butter with the ramps, you can freeze it and can enjoy their flavor the remainder of year.
 
betteirene May 2, 2011
Peter, you always give me the best opening lines:

You: What's the best way to store ramps?

Me: In your belly. Ba-dum-bum.

But seriously. The deterioration clock is ticking! Eat them now!

If their roots are still attached and you haven't yet cleaned them, place the ramps in a vase or Mason jar and pour in enough cool tap water to cover the white part of the bulbs. Place your arrangement on a saucer in the refrigerator. Use them before the leaves begin to wilt.

If your ramps are clean and rootless, wrap them loosely in moist paper towels in bundles of 4 or 5 (you want each ramp to be in contact with the damp towel), place the bundles in a zip-top bag, close the bag and store it in the bottom (the coldest section) of your refrigerator; they'll keep for up to 5 days if they're not allowed to dry out, and the growth of mold will be slowed if the ramps are clean and cold.



 
I also don't wash them until I am ready to use them. I wrap them in a paper towel, and put them in a plastic ziploc bag, then store them in a vegetable crisper drawer. I would use ASAP if you can. They'll keep for about 4-5 days; after that they start to deteriorate.
 
ALittleZaftig May 2, 2011
I don't wash them until I'm ready to use them, and store them unwrapped in the refrigerator apart from fruit so that they can breathe, but aren't affected by the gasses emitted by fruit.
 
lastnightsdinner May 2, 2011
I've always rinsed them well, then stored them with the green leaf ends loosely wrapped in a barely damp paper towel inside an open zip-top bag in the crisper.
 
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