November Harvest

Saturday night dinner - sauteed chicken with leeks. Delicious! Started growing leeks in our first garden back in 1986. Over 20 years later I planted them this spring in a raised bed for the first time since and what a treat. Pulled out three for tonight's dinner. I love their mild sweet scent.

Dinner: Sauteed boneless chicken breasts in olive oil and a pat of butter for 10 - 15 minutes. Seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper and removed them from the pan to a warm plate in the oven. Put the leeks in the pan with another pat of butter and sauteed them for 3 to 4 minutes - fresh and tender they cook up quickly. Next I added a little Pinot Grigio to deglaze the pan and, yes, one more small pat of butter to bring on the sauce. Returned the chicken to the pan to get the flavors flowing for a couple minutes then served up the chicken and leeks alongside a crispy piece of ciabatta and some mesclun. Can't beat it.

I'm planning to extend the harvest into winter by mulching heavily and digging these mild members of the onion family as needed. Won't wait another 20+ years to grow them again. With their savory flavor fresh in mind and the anticipation of browsing through seed catalogs this winter, I'll be checking out early varieties promising the added ease of direct sowing in May.