1300gramsstrained ramp juicefrom roughly 2000 grams of ramp leaves
120gramskoji rice
Instructions
Juicing the ramp leaves
You know when your eyes tear up when you cut an onion? Think of juicing ramp leaves as that on steroids. I recommend wearing goggles while you juice, but if you’re of a certain constitution you can get by without.
Put small handfuls of whole ramp leaves into the juicer and extract the juice. As you work, if your juicer's like mine, it may start to gum up with ramp leaves. Pour a splash of water into the juicer chute occasionally to help the liquid move.
Eventually the pulp catcher will fill up with ramp pulp. Remove the pulp and set it aside in a bowl.
After the ramp leaves are juiced, put on a pair of gloves, then put handfuls of the ramp leaf pulp into cheesecloth. Wring out the remaining juice from the pulp into the juice from the juicer, then set the leaf pulp aside for another purpose, like fermenting or making green curry paste.
Strain the ramp juice (optional). You can add any solids to the squeezed ramp leaf pulp if you want.
Assembling the Garum
Rough chop the fresh ramp leaves, then combine with the salt and rice in a clean, wide vessel you can fit inside a dehydrator or similar contraption that can slowly heat things. Some people use a rice cooker.
Gently crush the leaves with the salt and koji rice using a wooden spoon for a minute to reduce their volume.
Pour the ramp juice into the vessel with the ramp leaves and rice, stir with a long utensil and top with a lid. Ferment the mixture at room temperature for 5 days.
Slow Cook for 30 days
Transfer the jar to the dehydrator or other cooking vessel and heat at 145 F (high) for 30 days, or until the liquid is dark and syrupy.
I put a layer of clingfilm pressed onto the top of the mixture to prevent water loss, but you can probably get by without it. If you do, weigh the finished liquid and replenish the water that evaporates.
Finishing
Strain the liquid off into a strainer lined with a generous amount of cheesecloth. Wearing gloves, wring out as much juice from the cooked ramp matter as possible. I found it helpful to massage the mass to get out the juice.
Discard the ramp leaf mash and thank it for the service it provided. Store the garum in the fridge to prevent it from developing kahm yeast and to keep the best flavor.