Perennial leeks

I've been thinking that I've been harvesting green garlic, but today, I realized, these are really perennial leeks, grown in great soil, with plenty of nutrients, and full sun all winter.

They're huge, and delicious.  I've harvested, and we've eaten plenty of young perennial leeks (they're great, too), but these were different.

About the same time that I managed to stick some garlic gloves in various spots, I also separated and transplanted perennial leeks.

These are what I've been harvesting in the lower bed.

They certainly look more like leeks than garlic, and slice up that way, too!  And I certainly didn't plant any "normal" leeks down there, just moved around the perennial ones and planted some garlic (I think).  But it's been an eventful year, and I need to revisit my blog posts to remind me of what I might have done....

Green garlic, perennial leeks, and roots

A chef on a favorite food-oriented podcast was extolling the virtues of using garlic roots for a delicious rich broth.  Garlic roots?  Hmm.

Green garlic, I get.  Mine are wonderful this spring, stout and delicious.

Both the white stalk and the green leaves are perfect, sauteed in a bit of olive oil. 

My perennial leeks have been great, too (they're at the center of the photo).  But my experiment with the green garlic roots (laborious to clean) was ho-hum at best. 

Yes, they added garlic flavor, but not anything over the top (as the interviewed chef suggested).  Perhaps his were different, or perhaps not.

Leeks in December

Who knew that I'd be out harvesting young leeks and dividing up my perennial leek patch in December?

a December leek harvest

But they're flourishing in this unseasonably warm weather, and I'm finally feeling well enough (after a nasty cold-like virus) to actually enjoy it.

Lovely to be in the garden this afternoon, continuing to tidy cool season greens here and there, too. 

I transplanted (!) some red romaine lettuce seedlings that had been hanging on in flats (looking scrimped) -- hmm, who knows.

I sowed the final spinach seeds from one of this year's packets -- ridiculous, but you never know. 

One of my good gardening friends (always experimental) and one who doesn't follow the "rules" has lovely Swiss chard, spinach seedlings, hardy-looking onion relatives of all sorts, as well as young cilantro plants everywhere.  Maybe the La Nina or is it the El Nino effect that's bringing us this continuing warm weather in the Eastern U.S. will keep things warm for a bit more.  It's certainly predicted through the week ahead.

A woodchuck that crept out from the ravine ate my cilantro plants while we were traveling in October, so I have no homegrown cilantro at this point (I had to send out my gardening companion for cilantro for our dinner this evening.  Aggravating, as it would have been flourishing now!)