Leeks are in the onion family, along with scallions, chives, shallots, garlic, and onions. Leeks shouldn’t bulb – they should be nice stalks. Most recipes say to use the white part, but our favorite leek recipe is potato-leek soup, and we use the whole green leaves as well as the white parts.
We mostly grow leeks for fall and winter use, but members have asked for them throughout the summer, particularly for use in soups. So, we will try to have a few leeks available beginning in July. There are summer varieties that mature early but don’t store well, and fall/winter varieties that take a long time to size up but will store several months, or can be dug through the winter if the ground isn’t frozen.
Tony is a master at Potato Leek soup. Since we raise chickens and duck, we usually start with chicken or duck stock. Since we use a stick blender at the end to smooth everything, the size of the potatoes and leeks only matters in how it affects cooking time. We put about equal parts potatoes and leeks in the stock. A little milk or sour cream is a nice addition, as is a little hot pepper. Of course some salt and pepper. It really depends on what is handy and what he feels like that day. There are lots of potato-leek soup recipes out on the web.
Mariquita Farm has gathered some good leek recipes.
