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With Dick Robinson
Leeks, Swedes & Carrots,
Good for that Winter Stew
British leeks come in different shapes and sizes; the growers of pot leeks, stumpy, fat specimens seen at Shows, especially in Northumberland and Durham, command large prizes at the Leek Shows in the North. At many of our local Shows, classes for these giant leeks are now common, as well as the classes for blanch leeks, those long stems of pure white. As a young gardener, I was taught that we had the London broad flag leek, an early sort with a long stem, not too hardy, grown more in southern England. The Scotch Musselburgh leek was the tough one, able to withstand lots of frost, hence its name. A third group was the Lyon leek, a late strain that would last until April. From these groups, plant breeders have produced hybrids, with names, and we have a number to choose from these days.
Leeks are very tolerant; they seem to grow even under poor conditions, yet given good soil and a bit of attention, they are first-class vegetables for the darker six months. It takes about two hundred days to grow mature leeks from time of seed sowing. Some growers plant in trenches, others on the flat and ridge up during the growing season. Most plant deeply and allow the blanching to occur naturally below the surface. The fat pot leeks are a special crop; the Show gardeners prepare well-manured beds, lots of secret methods, and feeding to get the leek with the largest cubic capacity. The leek judges use special tables to work out these volumes. Do you remember how to find the area of a circle? pr squared!! Multiply this by the length from the base of the leek to the bottom leaf 'v' and you have the capacity of the white area; All very mathematical.
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