Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Leeks

Spring, Summer, Autumn

Description: This sweet, subtly-flavored onion relative is often used for seasoning but can also be served as a vegetable on its own. Ramps are a wild variety of leek.

Selection: Choose firm, crisp leeks with dark green leaves. Thin or medium leeks (1 1⁄2 inches in diameter at most) have the best flavor and texture; thicker leeks are fine for soup.

Storage and handling: Refrigerate loosely wrapped in plastic in the crisper drawer for a week or more. Before eating, trim the dark green tops, tough outer leaves and a very thin slice from the root end. Halve leeks lengthwise and wash in a
bowl of water, gently spreading the layers apart.

Preparation: Slice or cook whole. Sauté chopped leeks in several tablespoons of butter, 8-10 minutes. Boil in small amount of water,
12 minutes or until just tender. Steam in basket over boiling water, covered, about 15 minutes. Leeks don’t microwave well.

Serving suggestions: Not typically eaten raw. Top cooked leeks with lemon butter, cream sauce, cheese sauce, marinara, or fresh tomato sauce. Or marinate in vinaigrette. Add leftovers to soups or mashed potatoes. Try them in a quiche
(SIS, p. 60). Use in place of cooked onions in any recipe.

Nutrients: antitumor compound allicin; bioflavonoid antioxidants.

1 lb raw = 6 cups
1 lb cooked = n/a

Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Leeks

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	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Leeks Spring, Summer, Autumn Description: This sweet, subtly-flavored onion relative is often used for seasoning but can also be served as a vegetable on its own. Ramps are a wild variety of leek. Selection: Choose firm, crisp leeks with dark green leaves. Thin or medium leeks (1 1⁄2 inches in diameter at most) have the best flavor and texture; thicker leeks are fine for soup. Storage and handling: Refrigerate loosely wrapped in plastic in the crisper drawer for a week or more. Before eating, trim the dark green tops, tough outer leaves and a very thin slice from the root end. Halve leeks lengthwise and wash in a bowl of water, gently spreading the layers apart. Preparation: Slice or cook whole. Sauté chopped leeks in several tablespoons of butter, 8-10 minutes. Boil in small amount of water, 12 minutes or until just tender. Steam in basket over boiling water, covered, about 15 minutes. Leeks don’t microwave well. Serving suggestions: Not typically eaten raw. Top cooked leeks with lemon butter, cream sauce, cheese sauce, marinara, or fresh tomato sauce. Or marinate in vinaigrette. Add leftovers to soups or mashed potatoes. Try them in a quiche (SIS, p. 60). Use in place of cooked onions in any recipe. Nutrients: antitumor compound allicin; bioflavonoid antioxidants. 1 lb raw = 6 cups 1 lb cooked = n/a More from our readers Do you have a tip, comment or recipe you would like to add to this page? Send your tips, helpful comments or recipes Name Email Address Email Address confirm Comments The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season. Subscribe to a recipe a week from the Simply in Season cookbook.
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