Leeks

Leeks are believed to be native to the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean and have been cultivated for over 3000 years.

23/3/22
Leeks are grown and eaten all over the world. Popular for their mild and sweet onion flavour, they have become staple vegetables in many cultures.

Leeks were a crop that I was especially keen to grow. They take a long time in the ground so lots of small gardens like ours don’t tend to grow them, but we had the space and took the chance to give them a go.

We’re growing an open pollinated variety called King Edwards, which a really well renowned European type. European leek types have been cultivated in Britain since at least the Saxon times, around the 7th C.

I’m keeping my eyes out for the seed of a Middle Eastern Kurrat leek type to grow too. Its likely both types of leeks originated from the same wild leeks found in the epicentre of alliums around the Middle East and Mediterranean and have been cultivated for thousands of years by different peoples. The Kurrat type tend to have multiple bulbs and thinner leaves, while the European type tend to have one thick bulb and thicker leaves.

I’m hoping we may all be able to cook up and taste both cultivated types side by side sometime.

King Edward leeks are grown over summer and don’t tend to be as big as overwintered varieties, although some of our succession have grown pretty big.