Chicken Ramp Sausage!

One of our favorite harbingers of Spring is the arrival of Ramps, a wild leek that is commonly found throughout Appalachia and near Appalachian woods. This leek has a flavor that is a cross between a spring onion and garlic. Sweet and mild in the leaf, more strong and pronounced as you get toward the bulb. They are regarded as a superfood because they are high in vitamin C, roughly 20-30mg per 100g of onion. They also have sulfur compounds, manganese, and beta carotine. It helps that they grow in nutrient rich soil of the forest. These wild onions are very delicious and versatile. When we make our chicken ramp sausage, we grind the fresh ramps in with Indiana Amish boneless skinless chicken thighs and we further season with a touch of black pepper and sea salt. Thats it!

Old Major Chicken Ramp Sausage comes in 1LB packages comprised of 4 oz links. The sausages are not cooked, so they are somewhat delicate but firm and plump up nicely when cooked. We like to grill them over charcoal but a frying pan will work nicely. You can take this sausage several different directions, you can go Italian and play to the garlic characteristics or you can go asian and play to the green onion / leek characteristics. How about that? A pizza or a ramen play! You can’t beat that!

Chicken Ramp Sausage & Spring Vegetable Pasta

A light, garlicky pasta dish that captures the essence of spring with ramps, peas, lemon, and Old Major’s seasonal chicken ramp sausage.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 lb Old Major Chicken Ramp Sausage, removed from casing (or sliced if pre-cooked)
12 oz pasta (orecchiette, fusilli, or penne work great)
1 cup snap peas or fresh shelled peas
1 cup asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup fresh parsley or ramp greens, chopped
Salt & cracked pepper, to taste
Optional: red chili flakes or a dollop of ricotta on top

Instructions

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
Sauté sausage: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the Chicken Ramp Sausage in olive oil until browned and cooked through (about 6–8 minutes). Break it up with a wooden spoon.
Add vegetables: Toss in garlic, asparagus, and peas. Cook for 2–3 minutes until bright green and just tender.
Combine: Add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, lemon zest and juice. Toss until coated and slightly glossy.
Finish: Stir in parmesan, parsley (or chopped ramp greens), and season with salt and pepper. Add chili flakes if you want heat.
Serve: Garnish with more parmesan or a spoonful of ricotta for extra richness.

Pro Tip

Swap in fiddleheads, ramps greens, or morels if you want to go even deeper into spring forage mode.