growing-BabLeeks-1stMay

Babbington’s leeks (Latin name -  Allium ampeloprasum babbingtonii ) are an interesting perennial vegetable.

 The leek leaves grow from bulbs in January until the leaves die down in late summer.  The bulbs multiply, causing the clump to spread.  The bulbs come up year after year making this a perennial vegetable which needs a permanent site.

  BulbsBabingtonLeeks

 But the peculiarity of  Babbington’s leeks is that when they push up a flower stalk in late summer, bulbils develop on the flower head.  These bulbils drop off onto the ground and grow into bulbs.

  BabingtonLeeks

The photo of the flower head shows the light green bulbils. Babbington’s leeks are useful in the kitchen because the green leaves can be cut in January.

 The leaves may be eaten:

•  raw when young – in salads
• boiled (long & slow) when mature – as they become quite fibrous

The bulbs & bulbils:

• are eaten as a substitute for garlic
• may be eaten raw or cooked
• the bulbs are hotter

Kevin in Cornwall  kindly sent us both bulbs and bulbils of Babbington’s leeks.  We  planted them into well drained soil in a sunny spot. He says “It may be a couple of seasons before the Babbington’s Leeks produce flower heads, when bulbs will be big enough for garlic, and bulbils to start again”.

BabingtonLeeks1stMay

 Babbington’s leeks survived the very hard winter and have grown well this spring; but they are starting to look thirsty!

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Leeks are a truly versatile vegetable:

• milder, sweeter flavour than onions
• smooth texture similar to asparagus

prizewinner-leeks

Our leeks will see us through the winter- we have several months supply left in the ground.  They seem particularly delicious this year, and the hard, frosty weather has not hurt them at all.

close-spaced-leeks

A recipe for leek soup:

Ingredients

• 2 leeks – washed & sliced (about 10oz)
• 2 potatoes – peeled & sliced (about 10oz)
• 3 rashers lean & chopped bacon (about 5oz)
• 1 pint stock
• 1/2 pint milk
• freshly ground pepper

cooking-leek-soup

Method:

• gently cook the bacon, leeks and potatoes until the leeks are soft, but not coloured
• add the stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender
• liquidise
• return to the pan and add the milk
• serve when hot

Click this link for recipes showing how to cook leeks.

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The leek leaves grow from bulbs in January until the leaves die down in late summer.  The bulbs multiply, causing the clump to spread.  The bulbs come up year after year making this a perennial vegetable which needs a permanent site.

BulbsBabingtonLeeks

But the peculiarity of  Babbington’s leeks is that when they push up a flower stalk in late summer, bulbils develop on the flower head.  These bulbils drop off onto the ground and grow into bulbs.

BabingtonLeeks

The photo of the flower head shows the light green bulbils.

Babbington’s leeks are useful in the kitchen because the green leaves can be cut in January.

The leaves may be eaten:

• raw when young – in salads
• boiled (long & slow) when mature – as they become quite fibrous

The bulbs & bulbils:

• are eaten as a substitute for garlic
• may be eaten raw or cooked
• the bulbs are hotter

Kevin in Cornwall has kindly sent us both bulbs and bulbils of Babbington’s leeks.  We have planted some out into well drained soil in a sunny spot.  But have also planted some in pots and will plant these out when conditions allow in the spring.

He says “It may be a couple of seasons before the Babbington’s Leeks produce flower heads, when bulbs will be big enough for garlic, and bulbils to start again”.

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leek-dug-Pandora

Ingredients:

• 6 leeks – sliced across in circles1/2″ thick
• 250ml double cream – must be double!
• 2 handfuls grated cheese

Method:

• drop leeks into a pan of boiling water – bring back to the boil.  Simmer for one minute & drain well.
• place leeks in a shallow, greased oven-proof dish.
• cover leeks with the double cream
• sprinkle the grated cheese on top
• cook in oven preheated to 180C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe for Leeks au Gratin could not be easier & produces a very special dish.

For more vegetable recipes, try this book from Amazon:

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leek-bed-23august

leek-23August

The leeks are hoed  before the  weeds are too  big.

hoeing-leeks

The leeks in the vegetable garden will provide fresh veg throughout the winter.

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    * size
    * days to maturity
    * winter hardiness

*Short season leek varieties tend to be

    * smaller
    * less winter hardy
A popular short season leek is King Richard. It is

    * very early
    * high yielding
    * extra long, with a slim stalk
    * mild flavoured
    * easy as it does not need earthing up
    * OK till Christmas

*Long season leeks

    * may be harvested through the winter
    * are cold hardy
    * develop fatter stalks

Common long season varieties include:

    * Autumn Giant

    long season of production, stands cold, frosty weather, high yields, medium stems

leek-autumn-giant

    * Autumn Mammoth

    matures in late autumn, high yielding leek, thick stems, good resistance to rust

    * Pandora

    productive, long season, good tolerance of leek rust

Mature-leek-Pandora

    * Musselburg

    very winter hardy, mid season, lasts right through winter, good length

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To grow baby/mini leeks:

* space close together in the row
* sow in a small garden, an allotment, or in containers on the patio
* liquid feed weekly if grown in a container
* harvest 16–20 weeks after sowing, when still young,tender and full
of flavour
* use immediatley, as mini veg do not store well
* make successive sowings throughout the growing season for a
continual supply.

Baby/Mini Leek Varieties
* *King Richard*
A very early, high yielding, mild flavoured leek with extra long,
slim stalks
* *Swiss Giant Evita* A fast-growing, high-yielding variety with long straight shanks
* *Baby Jolant* A vigorous, very early cropping variety giving high density stems
with a mild flavour

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Mature-leek-Pandora

The leek is a symbol of Wales, and is eaten by the Welsh on St David’s Day, which
is on 1st March 2008. St David is the patron saint of Wales.History has
it, that the Welsh fought a battle against Saxon invaders, in a leek
field in 640 A.D.. The Welsh wore leeks in their helmets to identify
themselves in the battle.

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Downy mildew is characterized by pale–green, yellowish to brownish areas of irregular size and shape (oval to cylindrical) on infected leek leaves. Masses of spores are produced on the surface of the leaves, which turn from transparent to greyish, and then rapidly become a violet colour. Leaves become girdled in the region where mildew develops and the leaves collapse, resulting in dead leaf tips. The dead leaf tissue is often colonized by purple blotch, which is dark in color and obscures the downy mildew.

Downy mildew seldom kills leeks, but the leek growth may be reduced.

The relatively cool, moist weather that the UK has been experiencing favours the development of downy mildew in leeks.

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