Leeks – All You Need to Know | Instacart Guide to Fresh Produce

What are leeks?

Leeks resemble a giant green onion and belong to the same family as onions, garlic, chives, and shallots. Leeks have a mild and sweet flavor and feature a creamy texture when they’re cooked.

Leeks are typically grown in a controlled environment, but when they grow in the wild, like the North American wild leek variety, they are identified as ramps. Ramps are particularly popular with accomplished chefs because of their robust taste, which is reminiscent of garlic and scallions.

Leeks are primarily enjoyed in soups, casseroles, or quiche. They can also be enjoyed raw without cooking. Both the green leaves and white shaft are edible.

Where did leeks originate from?

Leeks originated from Middle Asia and eventually made their way through Western Asia and the Mediterranean.

What is the nutritional value of leeks?

Leeks are a nutrient-dense produce option that is low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. In particular, they are high in carotenoids, including beta carotene, which the body will convert into vitamin A. These nutrients are important for vision, immunity, and reproductive health.

Leeks have vitamin K, which may help prevent blood clotting and benefit overall cardiovascular health. They feature vitamin C, which helps with immunity, tissue repair, generating collagen, and iron production and absorption. Women can receive additional benefits from leeks since the manganese may help limit premenstrual symptoms and help improve thyroid health.

Leeks are a great source of antioxidants, which help prevent damage to the body’s cells. Prevention of damaged cells may help limit your chance of developing illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. Along with promoting heart health, leeks may also help reduce inflammation in the body.

Leeks are a great source of hydration for the body and fiber, which can help aid in weight loss or management by making your body feel full longer. The fiber in leeks will also benefit digestive health.

Sulfur compounds found in leeks have been shown to positively impact lowering blood sugar levels in the body. These sulfur compounds have also been shown to help promote brain health and may prevent mental disease and decline as you age.

Finally, leeks have kaempferol, which has been shown to help guard against bacterial infections and viruses.

How are leeks grown?

Leeks typically have a long growing season that lasts about 120 to 150 days.

In cold climates, seeds start indoors in late February or March, and then they are transplanted outside when they are between 10 to 15 weeks old. Typically, they’re transplanted when the weather warms in spring with temperatures of at least 45°F.

When they are transplanted, they are typically placed in rows about 1 to 3ft apart. The root system of leeks is shallow, and while they require a good amount of water, it’s important not to overwater them because they will be prone to disease.

Leeks are harvested by delicately twisting or digging them and pulling them from the ground.

When are leeks in season?

Leeks are typically found in stores all year-round, but they are traditionally a spring vegetable. This means you’ll find the freshest varieties in stores from late winter through early summer.

What should I look for when buying leeks?

When looking to buy leeks at the store, you’ll want to look for leeks with a lot of white and light green coloring. The smaller the leeks are, the better they’ll taste. The stalks of the leeks should also be firm and crisp.

If you are looking to have your groceries delivered, you can easily shop for leeks via Instacart. After adding a product to your cart, use the “Instructions” option to notify your Instacart shopper about any preferences or specific directions on how to choose the best products. Shop for organic leeks.

How to store leeks

Leeks can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The leeks should only be washed when they’re ready for use.

How to tell if leeks are bad

The best way to tell if leeks have gone bad is if they start withering or their tops have started turning yellow. The leeks will also start turning dark green.

What can I substitute for leeks?

There are plenty of fresh vegetable options you can substitute for leeks that will be great for any recipe.

Shallots are a great option to replace leeks. They are small onions with a fragile, mild taste. The taste is more like a leek than a yellow or white onion; therefore, it serves especially well as a replacement. Shallots are excellent for soups, sautés, or risottos.

White or sweet onions are great leek substitutes. These onions do have a stronger flavor than leeks, so they may not work well in all dishes. The sweet onion sometimes works better because it is milder than the white onion, but the white onion will work if that’s the only option. A yellow onion would also be a good substitute, but only if there are no other onions to choose from since the yellow onion has the most robust flavor.

Another substitute for leeks is green onions. Green onions have the closest flavor to leeks and are a miniature version of leeks. Because of their small size, you would need a lot more green onions to meet the supply necessary for leeks in a recipe.

Where to find and buy leeks

Instacart offers excellent quality leeks as well as same-day pick-up or delivery of fresh produce near you. You can use Instacart to start shopping and to search for leeks. If you select the delivery alternative, you can select to have your shopper leave your order at the door. They’ll let you know when it has arrived so you can start cooking right away.

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