Growing Leeks

GROW YOUR OWN LEEKS

The leek is a great vegetable for cooler climates, it's easy to grow, useful and very versatile. The white elongated bulb at the base of the leaves, makes a very tasty, fresh vegetable, either on its own or in stews or casseroles. They are also very nutritious and very rich in vitamin A. The leek is a member of the onion family, but is far easier to grow than the onion. Leeks are easy to grow, but need looking after – you need to sow them in containers or a separate part of the garden before moving them to their final position. Sow leek seed in spring and you will be picking leeks from autumn to late winter.With their compact, bolt upright growth, leeks are the ideal crop to squeeze into bare patches on an allotment or in a border. Here's how to grow this stalwart of the vegetable patch.

Few Varieties Of Leeks

• 'Musselburgh' - winter hardy with white stems. Pick from December to April.
• 'The Lyon' - autumn variety with mild-tasting long stems
• 'Monstruoso de Carentan' - French heritage leek with short stems from October to January
• 'Pandora' - glaucous leaves and long white stems. Crops between September and January
• 'Autumn Giant 2 Porvite' - tasty, white stems

Soil Preparation

• Choose a sunny, sheltered site with well-drained soil.
• If possible, prepare the soil for planting in the winter. 
• Dig the site well, removing weeds and working in plenty of well-rotted manure to improve its ability to retain water.
• Leeks can be planted in heavy soil, but improve the drainage by mixing in some horticultural sand.
• This is a hungry crop – spread a general balanced fertiliser over the soil a week or so before sowing and rake in. A rate of 60g per square metre is ideal.

How To Sow

• The easiest method is to sow seed directly into the soil between March and April. Alternatively, you can buy ready-grown seedlings, many nurseries offer a good range. 
• By careful choice of varieties you could have an ample supply of leeks to harvest from mid-summer until the following spring.
• On the allotment, seeds are best sown in rows, 30cm apart. Mark a straight line and use the corner of a rake to make a shallow groove in the soil, about 1cm deep. 
• Sow seed thinly along the trench, cover with soil, water and label. When seedlings have three leaves each, about four to five weeks later, thin to leave plants every 15cm the seedlings you remove could be used to plug gaps elsewhere.
• Alternatively, buy ready-grown plants. They will arrive as young seedlings during May and June, ready to plant out straight away. 
• To do this, make a hole with a dibber, 20cm deep, and drop a seedling into each. Using a watering can, fill the hole with water and allow to soak away - this will draw enough soil over the plant to cover the roots and produce wonderful blanched stems as the leek grows.
• Keep plants well watered, especially during dry spells and harvest from summer onwards.

Blanching Leeks

• To increase the amount of the leek that is edible it is necessary to blanch the plants which also improves the flavour. 
• This is a gradual process and is done in several stages. Generally it is started in mid–autumn. 
• It is done by pushing up the soil around the leeks to a depth of 5cm (2″), you may protect the stems by putting paper collars round the plants up to the bottom leaves.

Aftercare

• Bare soil is an open invitation to weeds, so carefully remove any stray seedlings, avoiding the grass-like young leek plants - it's essential to clearly mark the row so you don't remove plants by mistake.
• Keep plants well-watered, especially during dry spells - a mulch will help to retain moisture over summer.

Harvesting Leeks

• Depending on which variety, your leeks will be ready for picking from summer, although the most useful types are those that can be picked over winter, when there's little else in the vegetable garden.
• Harvest leeks by lifting carefully with a fork, aiming to avoid damaging neighbouring crops.

Few Health Benefits Of Leeks

• Provides Folate- A bioactive form of folate called 5-methyltetrahydrofolate is present in leeks. Aside from being an important vitamin during pregnancy, folate has been shown to lessen the concentration of homocysteine in the blood. By adding leeks to your diet, you can decrease your homocysteine levels, and protect your heart and blood vessels.
• Protects the Linings of Blood Vessels- A flavonoid called kaempferol is present in significant amounts in leeks. Kaempferol provides protection to the linings of the blood vessels, particularly against free radicals or reactive oxygen species and therefore, it allows your blood vessels to rest and decreases your risk for hypertension.
• Provides Vitamins and Minerals- Leeks are also good sources of vitamins C, B6 (pyridoxine) and K, as well as manganese and iron. Vitamin C is important in wound healing and collagen formation. Pyridoxine is important in efficient energy utilization. Vitamin K is needed for blood coagulation, and for metabolism of bone and connective tissues. Manganese functions as a coenzyme for many reactions in the body, while iron is important in the formation of hemoglobin.
• Decreases Risk of Chronic Inflammatory Diseases- Although not as famous as onions and garlic, leeks are important vegetables for fighting against chronic low-level inflammatory states. These states include diabetes, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis. Leeks can decrease the risk for these conditions by virtue of their polyphenol and kaempferol contents.

Leek Fritters Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 large leeks
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Chop the leeks coarsely – I cut mine in 1/4 inch pieces. 
•  Place in a medium size bowl and rinse under cold water. 
•  I find that there’s a lot of hidden dirt in the leeks after I cut them so a quick rinse is necessary unless you like eating mud. 
• Place the washed leeks in a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until tender. 
•  Drain and set aside. Once the leeks have cooled a bit, hand mix the leeks with almond flour, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. 
• Form small patties and arrange on a tray to fry.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil and pan fry until golden (usually 2-3 minutes on each side). 
•  Serve hot or at room temperature.