eGarden © 2009 Ed Mues

April 8, 2009

Leeks: A Gourmet Favorite from Ancient Times.

I stopped by my favorite haunt for early spring ramps, but they were not yet showing. It won't be long and these "wild leeks" will be abundant for about six weeks. In the meantime, I thought about the other leeks, the milder and sweeter, less garlicky, less oniony cultivated leeks long popular in Europe and slowly gaining favor here in the U.S.

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The leeks I purchased at Liberty Farms Plus were value-added, pristine, skillfully trimmed, and fairly priced.

The leek was introduced to America sometime during the 1700s and one history of Florida reports it was grown in Mobile, Alabama by Choctaw Indians in the mid 1750s. In spite of several varieties being available in the early 1800s, their popularity has remained relatively low for many years.

Searching through a variety of seed catalogs, it's is not uncommon to find leek missing from many. A few list Leek "American Flag", but to get a more complete list I needed to visit very many catalogs. As recent as ten years ago, one couldn't find more than two or three varieties available in the states.

Finally, I've compiled a list of 15 varieties of leeks available today: Lancelot, Lincoln, Varna, Bandit, King Richard, Carentan, Carentan 2, Giant Musselburgh, Bulgarian Giant, Broad London, Blaugruner Farinto Organic, Dawn Giant, Titan, American Flag, Kilima (very early-70 days), Scottish Giant Musselburgh (Heirloom 1834).

Leek (Allium porrum) is in the lily family that also includes close relatives garlic, onion, shallot, chive, scallion and the above mentioned, and strong and intensely flavored, ramp. Several alliums are ornamental. All are edible and most hail from Europe, Asia and Siberia. Only chives are found to also be native to North America.

Leek is a stout, biennial, onion-like herb that can grow two and one half feet tall. It has fleshy, flat or keeled leaves up to two inches in width. White to pinkish flowers in dense umbels will appear the second year. The soft bulbs and the white part of the stems are used in cooking and have a milder taste than onion. Their appearance brings to mind very large scallions. They are usually harvested at twelve to fifteen inches in length the first year.

They have an interesting history. They are mentioned in the plays of Aristophanes and Shakespeare and in writings of Pliny and Aristotle among many other histories and literary works. They have been cultivated in Central Asia for thousands of years. Dried specimens, wall carvings and drawings have been found in archeological sites in ancient Egypt, and there is clear evidence it was grown and consumed in Mesopotamia from at least 2000 B.C.

Gourmet cooks, both ancient and modern, have prized leeks for their delicacy or subtlety of fragrance and flavor. It is reported that Roman emperor, Nero, consumed it frequently in soup for strengthening his singing voice.

The Romans are credited with introducing leeks into England. The herb's hardiness in the cold weather made it a welcome addition, along with its other virtues. In 1620, Saxons invaded the United Kingdom and the Welsh engaged the invaders. As an identifying sign the soldiers wore leeks in their headgear to identify themselves to their fellow comrades. It was a decisive victory, and since then, leeks have been the national symbol of Wales.

Leeks certainly deserve a more widespread popularity in gardens and on kitchen tables. Thankfully they are receiving more attention recently owing in part to the renewed interest in gardening and cooking prompted by the current recession and Food TV.

Growing leeks is quite easy. Seeds can be sown 1/4 inch deep in fertile, well-drained soil between 50 and 85 degrees F. When air temperatures are near 70 (as for indoor germination) leek seeds will germinate in five to six days. If starting your own, after a couple of thinnings, when your plants are eight inches tall, transplant to the garden.

Allow six inches between plants and plant into six-inch deep holes and water in very well so the roots anchor properly. When plants are about the size of a pencil, begin mounding the soil around the lower two to three inches to blanch the stem. This enhances both its delicate flavor and its appearance. If you plant a lot, try them at different stages of development. They are edible at every stage. Their flavor is reputed to be at its pinnacle after a hard frost.

One last argument for why this wonderful herb should be a welcome member in any garden is the abundance of beneficial compounds found in all the alliums that improve blood pressure and cholesterol ratings. I recently made a leek, potato, mushroom soup that won raves in my family.

From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on April 8, 2009

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