King Seig Leek
Leeks are among the most cold-hardy vegetables and have traditionally been part of the late winter kitchen for peasant farmers all over Europe. How they came to be thought of as a "fancy" or exotic vegetable, I can't imagine, but it's time to bring them back to our gardens and kitchens. They make a great companion crop alongside kale, in a bed for winter harvest. Good together on the plate, too.
This leek is from fourth-generation farmer Beth Rasgorshek of Canyon Bounty Farm in Idaho. She crossed the very long early leek King Richard with ultra-hardy (short, fat) winter leek Siegfried Frost. After years of selection and stabilizing, the result is a hardy leek with nice 6" shafts and fat 3" width. It is hardy enough to provide those winter stews and braises (or just a simple winter omelette) with sweet fresh flavor. Blue-green leaves, takes around 90 days to maturity. An OSSI-pledged open source variety. 200 seeds