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Forget what anyone has told you about growing leeks, there is too much thought and fuss behind it. But first let me tell you a little abut this wonderful vegetable that I only discovered since coming to Bulgaria behind it.
Every autumn you will see almost every Bulgarian who visits the bazaar carrying a leek home with them for dinner.
It is a funny sight and reminds me of the Welsh comedian Max Walsh We with his giant leek. The Bulgarian leeks are almost as big! Most Bulgarian however grow their own it is so easy!
They are eaten raw in the main, as a side dish to either the main evening meal or with rakia, wine or beer. It is very rare that Bulgarian are without leeks throughout the autumn winter and early spring prior to fresh lettuce salads coming into crop.
Leeks are not grown from seed here other than the traders who sell the established seedlings on in bunches of twenty. These are bought and grown on in most vegetables gardens and smallholding. A hole is made in the earth and the seedlings planted in, watered throughout the remainder of the summer and eaten from October onwards. What could be easier that that? It is that easy hardly any fail regardless of the weather. The leek is one of the most durable vegetables without any diseases to worry about and take up very little space.
If I had to say which was the easiest vegetable to grow, it would be garlic and leeks. You just put them in and apart from a little watering and weed tidying, you have a feast for winter!
Every autumn you will see almost every Bulgarian who visits the bazaar carrying a leek home with them for dinner.
It is a funny sight and reminds me of the Welsh comedian Max Walsh We with his giant leek. The Bulgarian leeks are almost as big! Most Bulgarian however grow their own it is so easy!They are eaten raw in the main, as a side dish to either the main evening meal or with rakia, wine or beer. It is very rare that Bulgarian are without leeks throughout the autumn winter and early spring prior to fresh lettuce salads coming into crop.
Leeks are not grown from seed here other than the traders who sell the established seedlings on in bunches of twenty. These are bought and grown on in most vegetables gardens and smallholding. A hole is made in the earth and the seedlings planted in, watered throughout the remainder of the summer and eaten from October onwards. What could be easier that that? It is that easy hardly any fail regardless of the weather. The leek is one of the most durable vegetables without any diseases to worry about and take up very little space.
The health benefits are numerous without going into too much textbook detail. The fact is that they are far better for you than any convenience food and of course almost free to grow. Their use other than eaten raw is of course legendary, leek soup a classic example. Here n Bulgaria we have leek banistsa (leek filled filo pastry), a great favourite of mine.
If I had to say which was the easiest vegetable to grow, it would be garlic and leeks. You just put them in and apart from a little watering and weed tidying, you have a feast for winter!
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2 comments:
I love leek soup also. Leeks are sweeter than onions, quite a subtly different flavour.
very helpful thanks for sharing
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