This year the leek bed looks a tatty and the foliage has deteriorated further since this photograph was taken. It has not been the best of years for veggies but the leeks have delivered and the large bag of them in the fridge shows that you should never judge a book by its cover. Underneath the layers of unappealing wrappings, there are thick, green and white, juicy stems of gorgeousness!
Doc harvested more than a dozen, cleaned them up and popped them in a polythene bag in the bottom of the fridge. They will keep like that for up to a fortnight and they are more even more versatile than the humble onion. They have a milder onion flavour, with a hint of aromatic sweetness and they look very attractive.
Leek and potato soup is always a favourite. Chopped leeks and potatoes, good stock and milk, seasoning, chopped thyme. Simmer. Liquidise. Fantastically simple. (Doc likes a swirl of cream, well he would, wouldn’t he?)
Leeks sautéed with diced bacon is a marriage made in heaven. Drown them in thick, cheese sauce, topped with breadcrumbs and yet more cheese and you have a sure winner. Sometime I throw in a canned sweetcorn too. (Saliva activated at this point!)
Add leeks to risotto, pasta dishes, all kinds of soups and casseroles. If you have eggs and leeks in the fridge, you have a virtually instant meal because leek sautéed in butter is great in an omelette. Make some pastry and you can have a leek quiche and if you find some baby leeks, you can shred them and add them to a coleslaw salad. My motto is that if you have some leeks and a decent store cupboard, you always have dinner.....
Now we have had several hard frosts, we have cracked open the parsnip bed. From a numbers point of view, they are disappointing this year. Parsnips are very difficult to germinate at the best of times but it was particularly challenging last spring. The soil took weeks to warm up and then the endless rain washed sowing after sowing away. But we have a few and those that have grown are just a good. We get such a sense of achievement when the creamy tap roots are large, un-forked, an unblemished! As for cooking them, we have limited supplies so we shall roast them. Nice as it is, there is no room this year for curried parsnip soup, unless I buy some parsnips from the supermarket!
One of the surprises this autumn is that my chilli plant in the greenhouse is still fruiting and the green chillies are all gradually turning red. However, there has not been enough warmth to give them their fiery edge, but they are very useful as sweet pepper stand-ins. We have brightened up several winter salads and they are tasty in pasta sauces.
Doc picked the last bowl of raspberries on the 18th November which was good going but they were a little tasteless! There are a handful of strawberries left on the plants in the greenhouse but I am not sure they will last the course. The pots of fresh parsley still have lush growth but that is just about it for produce from the garden. Apart that is, from the other herbs in the garden. Even a handful of thyme, rosemary and bay leaves make me feel there is ‘freshness’ around. We have green beans and lots of fruit in the freezer but it is not the same as picking fresh produce.
Perhaps next season, the harvest will be better and we will also have carrots, beetroot and pumpkin to take us into winter. Maybe even a few cabbages, who knows? That’s one of the wonders of gardening. We always have the next season to look forward to.
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