Day: July 19, 2020

Can you freeze leeks?

Have you grown lots of leeks in your garden or allotment but nowhere to store them all? Or are you scared of them all rotting before you eat them? The question is can you freeze leeks? Here we will look into how to freeze leeks so that they take up less space and you can use them as and when you actually want them. Frozen leeks can actually stay fresh for up to one year in the freezer.

Leeks are actually from the same family as onions. You can freeze leeks by blanching. Make sure that you have washed your leeks extremely well before freezing, If you have grown your own leeks they will need doing thoroughly as little critters may be hiding in them.

Here in this article we will go through the ways of cleaning your leeks, blanching them and also freezing them in a step by step guid to help you in the easiest possible way.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to clean your leeks

In this section we will explain the step by step process of cleaning your leeks.

1. Before you wash your leeks slice off any roots on the leek and cut off the darkest green bit at the top of the leek. You want to keep it from the palest bit at the bottom.
2. Once you have cut off the roots and the tops off the leeks give them a wash under the tap removing any dirt and grime.
3. Place your leek on a chopping board and slice it carefully down the middle of the leek from top to bottom slicing it in half.
4. You will now be able to take your leek apart and inspect in between each layer – this is where the critters hide.
5. Wash each layer thoroughly. Do this under running water as this will help remove the dirt from them rather than doing it in a bowl.

How to blanch your leeks

Here we will go through the step by step process of how to blanch your leeks before freezing them. Blanching leeks before freezing will help the leeks stay fresher and they can be frozen for longer.

1. To blanch your leeks you will need a wire basket and a pan. The wire basket sits in the pan.
2. Boil some water in a pan. You will need about 4 litres of water for every pound of leeks that have been sliced and prepared.
3. Fill your basket with the prepared slices of leeks and place them carefully in the boiling pan of water.
4. Place the lid over the basket which is in the pot.
5. Leave the slices of leeks in the boiling water covered for only 30 seconds – no longer than one minute
6. Remove immediately after the 30 seconds has passed.
7. Place the slices of leeks straight into cold water for around 2 minutes. This is to stop the cooking process of the leeks. You can also add a couple of ice cubes to the water to help it go icy cold.
8. Place the strips of leeks in a sieve to drain all the water from them.
9. Place the strips of leeks on a baking tray to let the air dry them. You can even use kitchen towel to help dry them. If yo leave them wet when freezing it can affect the quality of the leeks.

How to freeze leeks

Here we will give you the step by step process to freezing your leeks

1. Lay you leek slices on a layer of baking paper on a baking tray. Make sure that the leeks are not touching each other.
2. Put the baking tray in the freezer for around 30 minutes until the leeks are frozen.
3. Once they are frozen solid you will then be able to transfer them off the baking tray into a sealed food container to store them
4. Write the date on the container so you know when you put them in the freezer.
5. Leave in the freezer until they are needed.
6. The maximum amount of time you can leave in the freezer is 12 months.

Purchase leek seeds

Do you want to try growing your own leeks at home or in the allotment? Here you can purchase leek seeds directly from Amazon to try.

So we have answered your question “Can you freeze leeks”. We hope you have found the tips useful. You can find more tips and advice on other fruit and vegetables here.