Wild Leek Soup

Please harvest wild leeks sustainably, taking only 5 to 15 per cent of a given population a year.

March 21, 2016 | Don Scallen | Soups

Some plants, however, should be harvested only in small numbers, or not at all. Ramps or wild leeks have been overharvested, which forces me to come clean about how wild leek soup ended up as part of my wild foods meal. The leeks I harvested came from my suburban backyard. They arrived in my yard unbeknownst to me, stowaways in the soil around some trilliums and jack-in-the-pulpits I had dug as part of an organized wildflower rescue in a woodland awaiting the bulldozer. For decades, these leeks have thrived in my shady woodland garden.

Wild Leek Soup

Type

Soup

Ingredients

1 cup wild leek bulbs
4 tbsp butter
6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
½ cup cream
¼ cup wild leek flowers, freshly gathered,  plus flowering raspberry petals*

Instructions

In a large pot, sauté leeks in butter for two minutes.
Add chopped potatoes and vegetable stock.
Simmer  until potatoes soften, about 30 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a blender or use a hand blender to purée the soup.
Add cream and warm the soup to serving temperature.
Garnish with edible flowers.

Notes

*I used wild leek flowers from my backyard. These small white blossoms arise on stalks in June, after the leek foliage has died back. I also used flowering raspberry, but any edible flowers will do. Please harvest wild leeks sustainably, taking only 5 to 15 per cent of a given population a year.