It's that time of year again in Findley Lake - Leek Season. There is a certain satisfaction from hunting, harvesting, and preparing your own food. When it comes to leeks, we have ample opportunity to harvest wild leeks in northwestern NY and PA.
First, if you've never had leeks and want a quick and tasty introduction to them, try to attend the Ham & Leek Dinner, Saturday, May 2, 2009 at the Spring Creek Fire Hall, from 11:30am to 4:30 pm. From Findley Lake, the easiest way to reach Spring Creek is just follow Rt. 426 south, through Corry and directly to Spring Creek. The reddish fire hall will be on your left with parking directly across the road on your right. You can't miss it as this is a popular activity. The meal is served buffet style with ham, potatoes, cooked leeks, etc. Usually there are raw leeks on all the tables for the adventuresome and cheese/leek spread for the more civilized among us. Adults 13 and up are $8, children 6 - 12 $4, and those 5 and under are free. There is always a fine array of desserts included in the meal, plus beverages.
For those looking to pick your own, it's time to head out for a drive and look into the woods for green stuff. P.S. - not everything green is a leek. Other green plants are up including skunk cabbage and day lilies. Leeks don't grow everywhere. For instance, leeks are not readily found on a drive around Findley Lake until you reach the south end of Shadyside . Look in the woods. Driving to Erie on I-86 I could see some on the road side of the fence as we drove up the first hill. Like a Pooka (see the movie "Harvey"), they appear first in that place and then in another place. Be sure you ask permission of the land owner before harvesting wild leeks. Bring a trowel and something to put your harvested leeks into. Gloves are also advisable unless you wish to smell strongly for a while. Ditto sampling your harvest in the field. A bite of raw leek used to guarantee a student being sent home from school.
Having found a patch of leeks, gotten permission to harvest, and donned your gloves, take care to take only 1/10th of what is available. Gently grasp a bunch of plants and use the trowel to pry up the clump, including the bulbs. Shake off the loose dirt and put in your bag or basket.
Once you've harvested your leeks, rinse off the dirt. Trim off the very end with the roots and discard. Cut off the next two inches, which will be mostly the white end. Wash the remaining leaves. Dry on paper towels. Slice or sliver the leaves and freeze for use in soups. Slice the white parts and freeze separately. A very easy cheese spread can be made by combining equal parts butter and grated sharp cheese with several tablespoons of the leek bulbs (white part). This will improve in taste overnight in the refrigerator and can be frozen for later use.
Leeks will disappear in the next two weeks so the season is already coming to a close. I have had some success transplanting wild leeks but need to leave these patches undisturbed until they begin to spread. Good luck with your own hunt !!
Showing posts with label leeks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leeks. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Foxes, Leeks, Weed Harvester, and Food
Here are a few updates on topics that interest me:
Yes, there are three fox kits (Kit, Kat, & Kabboodle). I watched them playing tag, in and out of the den holes. No wonder Rennie was looking kind of puny and run down. These three are a handful but look very healthy.
Wild leeks are nearing the end of their short season. I was able to pick some on Sunday and clean and freeze them today. Still need to make leek cheese spread. For supper we had a wild leek and mushroom/Swiss Cheese tart. That was yummy. For anyone interested in leeks and supporting some good organizations, the Spring Creek Fire Department is hosting their annual Ham and Leek Supper on Saturday, May 3d. Time is 11am - 4pm but they do run out. It's a fixed price for ham, potatoes, leeks, dessert, beverage. Usually the proceeds benefit several churches in the area. It's a fun weekend event, tasty, and casual.
The Weed Harvester has been moved to it's summer dock space. From just an interested by-stander point of view, it would make sense for lake front owners to remove the branches that have fallen into the lake. When the Harvester hits these invisible objects, teeth get broken or the cutting bar jams. Anything that damages the equipment or causes unnecessary time wasted on repairs takes away from the time spent harvesting weeds.
On the topic of the health of Findley Lake, I was appalled to watch a local landscaper blowing leaves INTO the lake. If you use a landscaper to maintain your yard, be sure they know to actually "remove" the leaves from the property. By blowing leaves into the lake, nutrients are being added to the water, which feed the weeds and add debris to the bottom. It's a waste of everyone's money to pay for weed harvesting or weevils, or anything to control the weeds only to have poor lake management practices occurring on individual properties.
Sunday we had an international meal: A French recipe for ground sirloin patties made with ground venison, an Indian spicy sauteed cabbage, and a Japanese grated radish salad. So many recipes, so little time. Now I have my brother trying to get me some purple sweet potatoes to grow this summer.
Yes, there are three fox kits (Kit, Kat, & Kabboodle). I watched them playing tag, in and out of the den holes. No wonder Rennie was looking kind of puny and run down. These three are a handful but look very healthy.
Wild leeks are nearing the end of their short season. I was able to pick some on Sunday and clean and freeze them today. Still need to make leek cheese spread. For supper we had a wild leek and mushroom/Swiss Cheese tart. That was yummy. For anyone interested in leeks and supporting some good organizations, the Spring Creek Fire Department is hosting their annual Ham and Leek Supper on Saturday, May 3d. Time is 11am - 4pm but they do run out. It's a fixed price for ham, potatoes, leeks, dessert, beverage. Usually the proceeds benefit several churches in the area. It's a fun weekend event, tasty, and casual.
The Weed Harvester has been moved to it's summer dock space. From just an interested by-stander point of view, it would make sense for lake front owners to remove the branches that have fallen into the lake. When the Harvester hits these invisible objects, teeth get broken or the cutting bar jams. Anything that damages the equipment or causes unnecessary time wasted on repairs takes away from the time spent harvesting weeds.
On the topic of the health of Findley Lake, I was appalled to watch a local landscaper blowing leaves INTO the lake. If you use a landscaper to maintain your yard, be sure they know to actually "remove" the leaves from the property. By blowing leaves into the lake, nutrients are being added to the water, which feed the weeds and add debris to the bottom. It's a waste of everyone's money to pay for weed harvesting or weevils, or anything to control the weeds only to have poor lake management practices occurring on individual properties.
Sunday we had an international meal: A French recipe for ground sirloin patties made with ground venison, an Indian spicy sauteed cabbage, and a Japanese grated radish salad. So many recipes, so little time. Now I have my brother trying to get me some purple sweet potatoes to grow this summer.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
End of the Easter Ham - Great Soup Recipe
First, it was a nice day with temperatures reaching 52 degrees. The lake had a light skim of ice on the edges in the morning, which would melt off later. Still no sign of the eagle but seagulls were flying around.
I signed up at www.presidentschallenge.com to try and do some exercise for 1/2 hour , five days a week. Today I did my first half hour on the recumbent bike. Took a walk around the property and dug a little in the garden. Pretty good for me.
Now, on to the Easter Ham. It was a particularly meaty, spiral sliced ham from Giant Eagle. We'd reached the end of about a week of ham meals so I decided to finish up cooking and/or freezing it.
HAM, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM SOUP
2 cups diced ham
3 leeks (about 6 inches long) thin sliced, including green
2 Yukon potatoes, cubed small
2 - 14 oz. cans low sodium/low fat chicken broth
1 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup half and half (or milk)
3 TBSP flour
Dice about 2 cups of ham and start it sauteing in a 2 quart sauce pan. Clean and slice three leeks and tossed them in on top of the ham. Keep heat low and add a little water to prevent from scorching. As leeks begin to soften, add the potatoes. Saute a few minutes and then add both cans of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, stir, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir flour into the half and half (or milk). Slowly stir into simmering soup. Soup should thicken some but still be liquid. Serve hot with fresh ground pepper.
Between the low sodium chicken broth and the ham, no additional salt is needed.
I have an experiment to run. I think if I take 4 eggs, whip them up, add two cups of the soup and maybe a cup of milk or cream, I can bake it and it will be somewhere between a custard and a quiche. Still sounds good to me. I wonder if Mikey will like it?
Renee and Nyardo were out enjoying the sun. Nice to see a family spending quality time together.
I signed up at www.presidentschallenge.com to try and do some exercise for 1/2 hour , five days a week. Today I did my first half hour on the recumbent bike. Took a walk around the property and dug a little in the garden. Pretty good for me.
Now, on to the Easter Ham. It was a particularly meaty, spiral sliced ham from Giant Eagle. We'd reached the end of about a week of ham meals so I decided to finish up cooking and/or freezing it.
HAM, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM SOUP
2 cups diced ham
3 leeks (about 6 inches long) thin sliced, including green
2 Yukon potatoes, cubed small
2 - 14 oz. cans low sodium/low fat chicken broth
1 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup half and half (or milk)
3 TBSP flour
Dice about 2 cups of ham and start it sauteing in a 2 quart sauce pan. Clean and slice three leeks and tossed them in on top of the ham. Keep heat low and add a little water to prevent from scorching. As leeks begin to soften, add the potatoes. Saute a few minutes and then add both cans of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, stir, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir flour into the half and half (or milk). Slowly stir into simmering soup. Soup should thicken some but still be liquid. Serve hot with fresh ground pepper.
Between the low sodium chicken broth and the ham, no additional salt is needed.
I have an experiment to run. I think if I take 4 eggs, whip them up, add two cups of the soup and maybe a cup of milk or cream, I can bake it and it will be somewhere between a custard and a quiche. Still sounds good to me. I wonder if Mikey will like it?
Renee and Nyardo were out enjoying the sun. Nice to see a family spending quality time together.
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