Can we have a 1 day leek contest?

We harvested leeks this weekend and had a good harvest. They are King Sieg from Fedco & started from seed Spring 2012. they over-wintered without any protection here in zone 7.

Here is my proud granddaughter posing with them. She is very fashion conscious - her shoes have to match her outfit - her shorts have pink and purple, so here you have it.

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Wow, look at all the beauties, and your grand daughter is really cute too!

dixie wrote:her shoes have to match her outfit - her shorts have pink and purple, so here you have it.

A girl after my own heart! I often do that with earrings and/or socks.

Those leeks are fantastic! Will you replant the stumps?

CC

I had never heard of replanting the stumps. How much of the leek should I leave attached?

I don't know as I harvest mine by cutting off at the ground which leaves the stump buried. Probably not much, but maybe someone in the know can help you.

CC

Thanks. I'll give it a try anyway.

Btw, mine don't get big doing it this way. Nothing like those beauties in your photo!

CC

Dixie , you have just made almost 1.1 million Welshmen cry with envy and frustration ....those leeks are fantastic .

The Welsh national emblem is a red dragon infighting stance , a Leek & also a daffodil . They have almost blood feuds due to leek growing , There are many comps showing them around here in South Wales UK .

Were they grown outdoors , were they grown in trenches ? Was it MM they were grown in ? What are you climates for over a years growing seasons ?

Come on , now you've shown the results ....... spill the beans how you did it " PRETTY PLEASE ...... with a cherry on top ."

Plantoid: I really need some recipes. Also how to store them? I was going to trim the roots & green tops, leaving some of both on, and storing in a cool, dark place.

I planted King Sieg seeds in flats in early spring. Germination was only about 80%, but I always tend to plant too much. When they grew a bit (not nearly pencil size, I planted them outdoors in Mel's Mix that was replenished with Black Kow brand composted manure. I've found it to be the best - no charred wood as filler.

I just used my fingers to make a small trench til they grew some. I was afraid of a deep trench because they were so small & the loose mix would probably smother them when it rained. After they grew to a better size, I deepened the trench & sort of slid them down further & covered them pretty deeply. In the Fall I mounded the dirt up around some of the squares, but in others I didn't bother.

My climate in summer is hot and humid, highs occasionally to low 100's, not enough rain. In winter we occasionally get in the teens and single digits, but not very often. No snow cover.

But like I said, I REALLY need some recipes. We like them drizzled with olive oil & grilled and potato-leek soup. I also use them in cooking in place of onions.

You can store leeks for a few days by " heeling them in in damp dry sand "
dig an 18 inch deep trench fill with four inches of damp sand , lean leeks in trench fill trench with dry sand and water it well . The only problem is you get sand in the leeks . Perhaps try heeling them in deep as above but use neat damp peat so that just a fraction of the tops are showing .

Cut the roots off right next to the stem , cut the very top most greenery so the leek is almost half and half in colour .
Slip them feet down in a poly bag add a few spoons of cold water , tie the bag top.
The leeks will usually last a week in a fridge at 3 o C if stood up right ..feet at the bottom touching a bit of the water , ours do > ( you can do this with celery and use the stump for rasing as a " stumpling ) .

They ( leeks ) blanche and freeze well , with cold water and ice at the ready drop 1 & 1/2 " chunks into boiling water, once water reboils leave for 90 seconds . Then lift out , 3 second in collander drain time . Now drop them in the iced water swill for a few seconds then leave for 2 min to get really cold . Drain off leave for 30 seconds or so draining then vac pack in meal sized portions . Freeze .

We use white sauce , cheese sauce and knive and fork gravy on them .. as ... Once thawed and fully heated in a glass heatproof dish in the microwave then they get slipped in the oven in a Pyrex dish with the sauce or gravy poured on them along side a roast joint etc for ten minutes or browned under the grille.

They store well in soups when used fresh to make the soup .
So long as you don't over cook the white and first stages of greenery . Add fine 1/2" wide chopped top greenery for the last six minutes of cooking the soup gives it colour and also a bit of different texture

Eaten fresh picked braised in the oven with gravy , white sauce otr home made cheese sauce cut them in 4 inch logs and if more than 1& 1/2 inch thick split them length ways takes about 20 min ..shorten the time if needs be by NUKing for 8 minutes if your pushed for time .. they should not be snotty but still have a tiny bit of solidity about them.

This is for a belly filing cold weather one dish meal , We like it especialy after a walk on the sea shore with the dog . We are not Welsh but think it is one of the best cowls we ever had.
So good that the second time I made it I made 15 pints and vac packed it in 1 &12 pint bags as it freezes so well
It's also nice on a hot day when you can't be bothered slaving over hot stove or bothered to mess around with salads etc. reheat for a 3 min boil .. it is cooled down to just warm for eating.

Cawl is pronounced Cowl

Thanks so much for all the tips and the recipe. It certainly sounds yummy.

Dixie your leeks look fantastic

My daughter is 15 and is still just as fashion conscious as your granddaughter.

TejasTerry wrote:Wow, look at all the beauties, and your grand daughter is really cute too!

+ 1!!