Amis chef Brad Spence just tweeted this beautiful picture of the first bundle of ramps he’s received this season. Not too shabby for it being only the fourth day of spring. The elusive wild Appalachian leeks enjoy an extremely short window at the beginning of each spring, and often times cause a bit of stir as they begin showing up as specials at restaurants.
In recent years some controversy has surrounded the highly coveted, if not outright fetishized vegetable. As foraging has grown as a foodie trend, and locavorism increasingly counts more as devotees, these precious gems have been pushed into endangered territory. Spence says he sources his from a farm in Ohio. Throughout the weekend, he’s serving them simply with linguine and pecorino.
