blanching leeks

Roger reminded me of the old gardeners' trick of blanching leeks. some time ago.

The baby plants are planted as normal but then enclosed in a piece of piping to draw the plant upwards and to stop light getting to the stem. The loss of light leads to a whitening - or blanching - of the stems.

Here, two leeks are shown. The lower one was not blanched and the top one was.

There is a clear increase in the amount of white stem on the longer, blanched leek. The lower leek was shorter and thicker.

We use leeks by the unit - recipe calls for a leek and we use a leek. The amount of blanched stem probably should matter but we chop up and use the green tops as well, so long as they are tender. So the length of white stem is less important than having a bed of thriving, organic plants to use during the winter months.