Add them to stews or roasts the way that you would use carrots or onions. They make a great addition to chicken pot pie, for example, as a flavoring for the basic white sauce.
Vichyssoise, the famous leek and potato soup, is traditionally served cold but is delicious hot as well, and if you planted some chives when you planted the leeks you can chop a generous handful of chives for a garnish. I think that my favorite way to use both my garden leeks and chard is to combine them in a tart.
They can be planted in most parts of the County in the spring and the fall. Information Desk: Santa Rosa email : mgsonoma ucdavis. Click here to request a speaker for your organization.
Click here to learn more about a free Garden Sense consultation. Donate to Master Gardeners. Each full bunch of leek plants contains approximately plants. Leeks are not day length sensitive. As long as you keep blanching them throwing dirt up on the shaft , they will continue to grow.
Leek plants are priced separately due to high production costs. Free growing guide included. Fertilize just like onions. Most leek varieties are fully developed when the stems grow to be a minimum of one inch in width. Some smaller varieties, however, mature at one-half to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. Check your seed packets so you know what to look for. Simply twist and — gently — pull leeks to harvest them. Or you can dig around them if the soil is dry, and lift them up.
You can trim flags to a more manageable length for storage, if you like. See our guide to how to harvest leeks for 7 expert tips. After harvest, leave the roots attached, but cut the flag back to about an inch.
Place stems root-end down in a box and fill it with sand, vermiculite, or sawdust. Keep the packing moist, but not waterlogged, and store in a cool place, where they will keep for about eight weeks.
You can freeze these veggies too. Wash them thoroughly more on this shortly , slice them, and blanch for one minute in boiling water. Blanching helps vegetables to retain their color and nutrients, and it destroys enzymes that can cause spoilage. Drain the blanched slices, dry them, and place them in zip-top plastic freezer bags for storage. They should keep for months. In the United States, leeks are used considerably less often than other alliums, which is unfortunate.
They have a lovely, light oniony flavor, and offer good nutritional value as well. These vegetables are rich in manganese, vitamin C, iron , folate, and vitamin B6.
Before adding leeks to a recipe, clean them thoroughly. Look for dirt in between the layers of white sheaths, and be sure to get all the grit out. You may have to slice the leeks lengthwise and soak them briefly in cool water before rinsing thoroughly to accomplish this. Another tidbit to reiterate is that when cooking with leeks, you only use the white and light green parts.
Cut off the dark green leaves and add them to the compost pile. Perhaps the most well-known recipe in the US that features leeks is vichyssoise, aka potato leek soup. This invention is based on a traditional French preparation, and it was created by a French expatriate chef named Louis Diat in New York City. Check out this flavorful version on our sister site, Foodal. Perhaps we can tempt you with a cheesy quiche with artichokes and roasted red peppers?
This delicious recipe is also from Foodal. This quiche features cheddar cheese rather than the often-used gruyere. This one-dish wonder is full of flavor and bursting with homemade love. As long as you give them nutritious soil, some fertilizer, and sufficient water, they should do well in your garden.
What better way to do that is there than by growing your own? Give these a read next:. See our TOS for more details. Originally published December 3, Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. Additional writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu. To Gretchen, nothing is more rewarding than a quick dash to the garden to pluck herbs to season the evening meal. Add to Wishlist View Details. Very winter-hardy open-pollinated leek.
F1 Leek Seed. Labor-saving, upright plants. Refined, long-shanked leek. Organic F1 Leek Seed.
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