• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Forager | Chef
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Interviews
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Wild Herbs and Spices

    Ramp Ketchup

    Published: Apr 11, 2020 Modified: Feb 20, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Besides pickled bulbs, ramp ketchup is one of the first things I ever made with everyones favorite wild leek. It's a great way to preserve ramps for the off-season, especially if you don't harvest many.

    Ramp ketchup recipe

    At the time, I remember making a few gallons of it to use as a condiment for vegetarian tasting menus, but we eventually started putting it on all kinds of things.

    Now, homemade ketchup and I have a love-hate relationship, and there's one particular restaurant food critics review of my first restaurant that mentioned something to the tune of: "It's pointless for chefs to make their own ketchup--nothing will ever compete with Hienz".

    First of all, fuck that guy (It's been years and I'm not salty at all!). Secondly, I still like Heinz, and it has it's place next to a good plate of French fries. That being said, our ramp ketchup here isn't Heinz, and I wouldn't dip french fries in it since it's too chunky.

    Basically, what I'm saying, is that homemade ketchup can be good, but don't expect it to be exactly the same as stuff from the bottle, because it won't be. Homemade ketchup is rustic, thick, and deserves to be recognized on it's own.

    Shelf-stable for canning 

    What this is, more specifically, is a condiment, as well a good, trusty way you can stretch a few ramps into a couple pint jars of preserves you can store in your pantry--allowing you to get that rampy flavor you crave throughout the year. Here's some ideas for using it:

    Tips for Using

    • While you won't dip fries in it, it's a good all-purpose relish for brats, sausages and other grilled meats.
    • Roasted, chunky potatotes or home fries would like it, as will other starchy, crispy roasted things like hashbrowns.
    • If you thin it out a bit, with water or stock, and add a knob of butter and heat it, it's a great, tart-sweet-spicy-rampy sauce for just about anything that would benefit from those flavors, especially pork and chicken. Add some capers and anchovies and it would be a good pizziaola sauce for beef cutlets.
    Ramp ketchup recipe
    Ramp ketchup recipe
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Ramp Ketchup

    This will make a mildly spicy, tangy, and most importantly, rampy ketchup. Yield: 3 cups (3 half-pints)
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Ramps
    Servings: 24 Servings
    Calories: 19kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 3 half pint mason jars or similar

    Ingredients

    • 3 oz heaping ½ cup ramp bulbs, not too old, sliced ¼ inch
    • ½ oz ½ cup ramp leaves, finely diced ¼ inch
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 oz ¼ cup dark brown sugar
    • 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes or 3 cups of tomato sauce
    • 1 small 6 oz can tomato paste
    • 1 teaspoon minced or grated ginger
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
    • Pinch of cinnamon
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar

    Instructions

    • Toast the allspice and black peppercorns, then grind to a powder.
    • Combine all ingredients except the tomato paste, ramps and their leaves and puree in a blender until very smooth. Strain the mixture to remove seeds (optional).
    • Transfer the mixture to a wide, deep pot with a lid to prevent splattering, whisk in the tomato paste and raw sliced ramp bulbs, then simmer on low heat, covered, for 45-60 minutes or until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the sauce is thick like ketchup.
    • Stir in the ramp leaves while the mixture is hot, then pack into half-pints and process in a water bath.

    Notes

    This is a great all-purpose condiment for many things. Fried potatoes, grilled chicken or vegetables, flaky white fish, and just about anything you can imagine. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 356IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg

    More 

    Ramps: Harvesting, Sustainability, Cooking and Recipes 

    « Ramp Scrap Vinegar
    Fruit Scrap Vinegar »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

    More about me →

    Get The Book

    the forager chef's book of flora
    The Forager Chefs Book of Flora

    As Seen On

    Footer

    BACK TO TOP

    Privacy

    Subscribe

    Be the first to hear what I'm doing

    Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Forager | Chef®