It’s not often an heirloom vegetable can document two centuries of Georgia provenance, but the about-to-be-named Garlington leek can claim just such family history.
Burge Organic Farm in Mansfield, about an hour east of Atlanta on I-20, is part of Burge Plantation, a 1,000-acre farm that has been in the same family since 1809. Naturalist and historian Ricky Taylor walks the property regularly. Several years ago, on the site of several old tenant houses, he found plants with a very identifiable leaf stalk.
“Ricky saw something that looked like garlic and, when he pulled it up, there were giant baseball-size heads of garlic. We estimate it was planted in the antebellum era when there were lots of small home sites for the sharecroppers here,” said Mosser.
The houses themselves were gone, but the plants lived on. Taylor started propagating the plants and then Mosser expanded production. He says he should be able to plant about an acre of it this year.
“This plant has no natural pests. I can put it anywhere on the farm and the deer don’t touch it. It’s perfect for our climate,” said Mosser.
Because it's an elephant garlic, it's in the same family as leeks. Mosser plants out cloves in October and all winter will have the leek-like greens to sell to his restaurant clients and put in his a la carte community supported agriculture boxes. The CSA has eight pickup sites in the Atlanta area, including Avondale Estates and Buckhead. For information, go to http://burgeorganicfarm.wordpress.com.
He hopes also be able to bring some to bring to the Saturday morning Peachtree Road Farmers Market before the season ends in December. “The greens taste just like a leek but with a mild garlic flavor,” said Mosser.
Come spring, the farm will have the leek-like greens to sell again, and in May there’ll be flowers which are edible baseball-sized globes of pale purple.
“We’ve been calling them garlic leeks, but the farm’s owner, Sandy Morehouse, whose side of the family has been on the property since the beginning, is thinking about calling them “Garlington” leeks,” said Mosser.
“Garlington Leak was married to my great-great-great grandfather’s daughter Eliza. He was born in 1801 and died in 1833. A year ago, we were joking about the leek and trying to come up with a name. We came up with the idea of naming our leek after him. He was obviously here when it was still thriving,” said Morehouse.
Mosser is as big a fan of the culinary uses of his leeks as he is of the plant itself. “Use it exactly like you use a leek. It’s great sauteed and used in sweet potato leek chowder, perfect for all the sweet potatoes we’ll have in November. Roasted chicken with leeks is a classic, and they’re really nice just cut in half and grilled,” he said.
“It’s our signature crop for the farm and we’re really proud of it and looking forward to making more of it available,” said Mosser. “It’s one of my favorite things to grow.”
At local farmers markets
Cooking demos:
9 a.m. Saturday, November 16. Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union, working with leeks. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, November 16. Chef demo by Jason Paolini of Holeman & Finch and Restaurant Eugene. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
For sale
Vegetables, fruit and nuts: apple cider, apples, arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chestnuts, collards, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, endive, escarole, fennel, field peas, frisee, garlic, ginger, green beans, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, muscadines, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, pears, peppers, persimmons, popping corn, potatoes, pumpkins, radicchio, radishes, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, sweet potatoes, sweet potato greens, tomatoes, turmeric, turnips, winter squash
From local reports
Rustic Leek Tart
Hands on: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 8 as a main course
6 leeks, roots and dark green parts removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stems
Salt and pepper
1 (17.3-ounce) box frozen puff pastry, thawed
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have two baking sheets ready.
Slice leeks in half and cut them into thin slices. You should have about 10 cups chopped leeks. Put leeks in a large bowl of water, deep enough that the leeks float. Let them rest five minutes, then lift leeks from water into a colander, leaving the dirt behind.
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. When melted, add leeks and thyme. Stir to coat leeks in butter, cover skillet and cook until leeks get quite soft and moist, about 10 minutes. Uncover skillet, season leeks and continue cooking until all liquid has been cooked off about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Season to taste.
While leeks are cooking, on a sheet of parchment paper , roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry to an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Fold in 1/2-inch on all four sides to form a border. Prick dough all over, except for borders, with a fork. Move parchment paper to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining sheet of puff pastry. Refrigerate puff pastry until leeks are ready.
Divide cooled leeks between prepared puff pastry and spread evenly to the borders. Bake 25 minutes or until pastry has puffed and browned. Slide tarts on parchment sheets onto wire racks and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving. May be served hot, warm or cold.
Adapted from a recipe in “Fresh Food Nation” by Martha Holmberg (The Taunton Press, $22.95).
Per serving: 434 calories (percent of calories from fat, 61), 6 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 30 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 16 milligrams cholesterol, 169 milligrams sodium.
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