Leek and potato soup.

Hi Paula,

To dry leeks, slice them into 1/4" thick slices. They are almost 90% water so they take quite a while to dry and turn brownish.

If you have a tornado shelter or basement, you also can stand them upright in a box of only very slightly moist sand....sort of like replanting them. LOL If you can hold them in that sand at about 32-40 degrees, they'll last at least 3 months stored this way.

I think that sometimes the best thing you can do is to do nothing at all, and that is especially true of leeks. In well-drained soil in an average to slightly wet year, leeks can be left in the ground to overwinter, so you might want to experiment with that next year and see how it works for you.

To overwinter them in the ground, just pile about four to six inches of mulch on top of them. When you want to use some leeks, just go out, rake back the mulch (always use a tool and not your hands to do this because sometimes snakes decide to overwinter under that mulch!) and harvest however many you need.

Overwintering leeks in the ground generally works in all but the most rainy winters. If you have issues with moles, voles, gophers or field mice, it might not work for you. Those rodents aren't a problem in my garden because I have cats who patrol the yard and garden daily and kill every rodent they find.

Really, leaving them in the ground works for me as long as I plant them in my best with the lightest, most well-drained soil (because I have clay).

If I were you, and if I didn't have moles/voles/gophers, I'd try putting a few back into the ground for long-term storage. Just trim off the tops a little, put them back in the ground, water them in to settle the soil around the roots and keep the roots moist, and mulch them heavily once freezing weather is expected.

You can dry them all, of course, but if you leave some in the ground, you can dig them as needed and use them the usual ways for a few more weeks to a few more months.

Dawn

Hi Paula and Dawn
I just relocated a bunch of leeks to a better location than where I'd originally had to start them due to the heavy spring rains. This time I planted them deeper, and have started mulching them, not to cover, but just to help with the blanching and to hold in moisture.

So, Paula, I don't see why you couldn't replant them, like Dawn says, or try to hold them in some coolish damp sand.

I love leeks, but I find those sold in the markets usually taste really bad, like they've been held in a dank storage area for about a year--or two. Fresh is best when you can just go out and dig up what you need, like you said Dawn.

I have a question I've been wondering about-technically, aren't leeks perinneal? Wouldn't they reproduce bulblets if left in the ground permanently? Like garlic or shallots? Or multiplier onions?

I just planted some huge shallots I got from Peaceful Valley. Now, I'm wanting some multiplier onions. I have Egyptian walking onions, but I would like some regular multipliers. A BUNCH of them! If anyone knows of a particularly great cultivar for our Oklahoma climate, I would love to hear about it before I make a choice and order.

Thanks for any info!

Barbara

Barb,

I think that, technically, leeks are biennials generally grown as annuals. If you leave them in the ground and don't harvest them at the end of their first growing season, most varieties will send up a flower stalk and set seed their second year. Some varieties also will form tiny bulbils or corms (I don't know what they're officially called) that will start new plants. So, you can harvest the 'mother' leek and leave the bulbils or corms to grow. I haven't tried doing this, so I don't know if the seedstalk harms the leek like it does with onions.

I bet someone will know about multipliers for Oklahoma.

Dawn

I have left them in the ground all winter, and when spring growth starts they go to seed. You could probably use them all winter and maybe into very early spring before they start to form seed.

You know I always have a recipe or two for everything, right? Here's a couple.

LEEKS WITH TOMATOES (You expected a tomato-leek recipe from me, right? Right!)

6 large leeks (about 3 lbs.), cleaned
1/2 C. chopped celery
1/2 C. chopped onion
2 T. olive oil
1 C. chopped tomato, preferably fresh
1 T. chopped parsley, preferably fresh
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. dried dill weed
1/8 t. pepper

Slice leeks into 1" pieces and set aside.

Saute' onion and celery in olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until onion and celery are tender. Add leeks and all remaining ingredients and stir together well. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 25 minutes or until leeks are tender. Serves 4.

LEEKS AND NEW POTATOES

10 new potatoes
3 large leeks (about 1 1/2 lbs.) cleaned
3 C. water
1/4 lb. salt pork or a hamhock or hambone or bacon
1 t. maple syrup
salt to taste

Wash and peel potatoes. Or you can leave some or all of the peel depending on whether you like to eat the peel. Slice leeks into 2" slices.

Combine all the above ingredients (except salt) in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover pan with lid. Reduce heat. Simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until leeks and potatoes are tender. Add salt to taste, if desired. Serves 6.

Dawn

Leeks are truly a wonderful veggie! I am trying to learn more about growing onions, and in particular about establishing a sustainable garden.

That was my main interest in multiplier onions. I was able to, (finally) glean some info on them. And Territorial Seed has them in stock. Pricey, but may be worth it to get a good stand going.

Also, I found that Egyptian Walking onions, which I do have, are basically worthless except for using as greens.

I let the little bubil's that formed on top, 'walk' and start new plants. The new plants from those are tiny, and look much like a regular scallion. I may try a few and see how they work as a green onion.

One site said that you could take the little bulbils and pot them up in a small container and keep them on a window sill for greens for salads, etc. Not a bad idea. I sometimes like to snip chives to dress the tops of soup, so I'm assuming you could do the same with these.

Another tidbit on the multipliers is that they are exceptionally good keepers, (up to a year), which is another plus. And if grown in good soil will produce nice size bulbs. Not as large as regular onion, but large enough to take seriously.

That was good to know, since I am now preparing a special rich bed to grow some in, although I may just try to mulitply them for awhile as I am going to do with most of my shallots. I must say, the shallots I got from Peaceful Valley were huge! I was well pleased :)

Barbara