I think the leek is a seriously underestimated vegetable.! Seriously! Underestimated!

A retooned leek

Everyone I speak to about leeks says ‘They’re supposed to be good in a stew or something aren’t they?’  Yes they are good in a casserole, or a warm vegetable salad, but they are even better as a simple steamed vegetable with a little bit of pepper for extra taste.

Leeks make wonderful soups, whether they are part of a potato and leek soup for example or as a clear soup on their own.

They have the distinction of being a great diuretic, so if you do have a bit of bloating, a bowl or two of leek soup or leeks for dinner at night regularly will probably help. This is definitely a tastier way to go than taking pills, unless you really have to, of course.

In the garden, the leek is easy to grow and always looks good, nice and tidy.  I usually plant them in mid-year as seedlings, and they take 6 months or so to really produce. The good thing about them is that they can stay in the ground for ages, and you can pick them off one at a time.  The other good thing, is that sometimes you can get a retoon.  I don’t pull them up, I cut them off at the base and as you see in the photo, they will reshoot.  The ready-to-eat leek in the photo, is one that reshot from last year.

A previously cut leek

If you don’t get around to picking them, then they will usually seed in the second year, and the result can be seen in the third photo- from the crop that I planted two years ago.

Not everyone loves the randomness of leaving things to grow where they seed themselves, so you may want to transplant these little opportunity babies.

Self seeded leeks