They are wild. They are pungent. They are so delicious. They are so easy to preserve… leeks, ramps, wild spring onions, whatever you want to call em… lets talk leeks!
I am always exploding in excitement when it comes time to forage fresh leeks. After the long winter, they are one of our first sources of fresh nourishment directly from the earth. Leeks are wildly abundant here in our favorite forest and sustainable harvesting allows us a good crop for many years to come. Under a blossoming green canopy of maple leaves, they thrive in the dew-y spring moisture and slow warming soil nestled between the roots of hardwood trees. Nutritionally, leeks are a great source of vitamin K. They are also loaded of manganese, vitamin B6, copper, iron, folate and vitamin C.
After a heavy dose of our favorite insect repellent, we quickly scurried to the woods with our spade shovels to dig, dig, dig while avoiding the beautiful trillium flowers beginning to sprout. Leek leaves are large, ovate to dagger shaped (oval shape that comes to a point) and quite flat while standing upright. The transition from leaf to bulb often reflects a beautiful shade of pink, and the bulbs themselves are bright white layers of tightly packed deliciousness a little larger than your thumb. Most local grocery stores will carry a much larger variety, but we prefer our pickings to be a little smaller. Their mild flavor, but strong odor (!!!) is perfect anywhere you’d add onions and garlic.
They are easily cleaned with a rinse of cool water and trimming the roots of the end of the bulb. We enjoy the leafy tops in a zesty batch of pot liquor and process the roots in a variety of ways. Our favorite though is to dry them in the hot sun and grind them into leek powder. Don’t be intimidated, it’s very easy but a little time consuming…
Lay the cleaned bulbs in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them in the sun. If you are worried about bugs, lay a screen on top. As they dry, they will begin to feel really tough. After a week or so chop them into some small chunks. Let them dry some more. Chop some more. Dry some more. These have dried about three weeks….
Using a spice grinder, add a tablespoon of your dried leeks and pulse until fine…
If you wish, filter out any larger pieces. We like to use the finely ground powder on steaks and burgers while the larger granules are great for soups, stew and slow cooker recipes.
A 5-gallon bucket of leaves and bulbs yielded us about two-and-a-half pints of ground leeks. Store in air tight containers and label appropriately. Store in a cool dry place. Shelf life?
Not sure… it doesn’t last very long around here. 🙂
Thats it! Enjoy!
But I bet you are wondering why we didn’t just use a dehydrator… truth is…this is the way my grandpa did it and it works every time. I never screw it up and I love seeing our efforts become nourishing food right before my very eyes. I can vividly remember walking into his barn full of tractors and smelling the distinct odor coming from his workbench. He would have trays and trays of leeks cleaned and drying in the sunshine. He would tell me they needed a little longer and I would poke them anyway “just to see.” Now as an adult, I think of him every time we forage, cook and enjoy our wild leeks. We still bring him some fresh powder now and again and he smiles bigger than the sun. It’s my favorite.
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