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Love leeks!

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A champion winter vegetable 

Nutritional therapist Paula Sharp loves leeks. Here she introduces this often unsung hero, including gardening tips, recipes and nutritional benefits.

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Elegant, elongated with a mild onion flavour, leeks are a staple in New Zealand kitchens and gardens throughout winter. The leek is a cultivar of the broadleaf wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum), and is the largest vegetable cousin of garlic, chives, spring onions, onions, and shallots. Leeks are more subtle in taste to their pungent onion relative and add a savoury sweetness to food without overpowering other flavours.

Leeks arrived in New Zealand with settlers from the British Isles. Historically, they were cultivated by ancient Egyptians and were highly prized by the Romans. In Wales, the leek is a national symbol, worn on Saint David’s Day and linked to historic battles and Welsh identity.

Growing leeks

In New Zealand, leeks are sown from early spring and harvested throughout the autumn and winter, with peak availability in June and July. They are well-suited to our cool, moist climates and thrive in loose, fertile soil. The plants take several months to mature and are ready to harvest when they reach 2–3 cm in diameter, although smaller ‘baby leeks’ are also prized for their tenderness. I love to use early, baby leeks interchangeably with late-planted spring onions.

The best growing conditions for leeks include full sun, and rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost. They require regular watering and benefit from a technique called blanching — mounding soil around the stems to keep them tender and pale. This process not only gives leeks their classic white base but also improves the flavour. To harvest, gently loosen the soil and pull up the plant by the base. Leeks can be stored in the fridge for several weeks, or left in the garden and harvested as needed, even in frosty conditions.

Rows of leeks showing the blanching technique. Image: Mat Reding /Pexels

Health benefits

Leeks pack a punch nutritionally. Nature again provides the right vegetables (and fruits) at the right time of year to support human health. They are dense in fibre, but it’s the sulphuric smell of all alliums where the nutritional magic lies. This distinct smell acts as an insect deterrent while the vegetable is growing and is a delight for the gut microbiome when it’s eaten.

These sulphuric compounds have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. The rich antioxidants of leeks (polyphenols and kaempferol) are heart-protective and have anti-inflammatory effects. The sulphur compounds (such as allicin) not only support cardiovascular health but also immune function.

Other health benefits of leeks are:

  • Vitamin K – for blood clotting and bone health
  • Vitamin A – supports vision and immune function
  • Vitamin C – helps with collagen formation and immune defence
  • Folate – for cell growth and development
  • Manganese and iron – supports metabolism and red blood cell production
Roasted leeks with vinaigrette – recipe below (Photo: Paula Sharp)

Cooking that maximises nutrition

Most of these nutrients are concentrated in the lower white and light green portions of the leek. The more fibrous darker green tops are great in stocks, soups, or even finely chopped into stir-fries. Cooking leeks lightly — by sautéing, steaming, or slow roasting — preserves their medicinal qualities while softening their texture and enhancing their sweetness.

To maximise iron and vitamin A absorption, pair leeks with a source of vitamin C (like lemon juice or capsicum) or healthy fats such as olive or coconut oil.

Leeks are especially popular and well matched in potato and leek soup, a classic winter delight. Roasted leeks make a fantastic side dish, and combine beautifully with cheese, mustard, and herbs like thyme and tarragon.

Before cooking, always rinse leeks thoroughly. Their layered structure can trap soil and grit, particularly between the white and green sections. Slice them lengthwise and soak in water to remove any debris.

Potato, leek and coconut milk soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
  • 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • Chopped parsley to garnish
Image: kaboompics / Pexels

Method

  1. Heat oil in a large pot. Sauté leeks and garlic until soft.
  2. Add potatoes and stock, bring to boil, then simmer for 20–25 minutes.
  3. Blend with a stick blender until smooth, or use a potato masher for a chunkier consistency. 
  4. Stir in coconut milk, season, and garnish with parsley.

Roast leeks and mustard vinaigrette

Roast leeks are a taste sensation and can be a dinner party show stopper.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium leeks, trimmed and halved lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:

  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Lochlan Holding relishing some roasted leeks (Photo: Paula Sharp)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan bake.
  2. Place leeks in a baking dish, with coconut oil, salt, and pepper.
  3. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.
  4. Whisk mustard, vinegar, honey, and olive oil vinaigrette.
  5. Drizzle over warm leeks before serving.

AUTHOR BIO: Paula Sharp is a nutritional therapist working one-to-one via Zoom to support women’s health, restore gut health and digestion, hormonal balance, skin and hair, sleep, shifting weight and health pre- and post-surgery. www.paulasharpnutrition.com

She is also a guest speaker, giving talks to companies on nutrition and mindset. In London she worked in the organic fruit and vegetable industry, and now she is based in Whakatāne, growing her own extensive spray-free garden.

Sheryl Stivens: Organic Pioneer

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Sheryl Stivens grew up on a mixed farm in Winchmore, Ashburton. Her family were fourth generation New Zealand farmers growing a variety of crops as well as breeding stud sheep. An experience when she was a young adult set her firmly on the organic path. 

Mercedes Walkham traces the life of this Soil & Health member who embodies the motto of ‘healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people’. 

Hunting and gathering

When Sheryl Stivens was 19 years old she moved to Australia, and met her husband Hal several years later in the Northern Territory. 

“In those days we were young hunters and gatherers catching abundant fish and game in the Australian outback and sleeping under the stars,” Sheryl recalls. 

“It was when we moved to Wagga Wagga (New South Wales) that Hal and I bought 30 acres of land, discovered the joys of growing your own food started to garden,” said Sheryl.

A turning point came for them with the realisation that there were no freshwater yabbies or other creatures in the billabongs on their land, due to the chemical fertilisers used to grow grain on the surrounding farms. They had both grown up with families using superphosphate and like many thought it was a “bird-poo type of product that came from Nauru Island” and never considered it to be toxic.

This realisation made them re-evaluate all their belief systems and from that moment on they vowed that they would not use anything that would poison the soil. “It became an unwritten law in our lives,” Sheryl says.

  ABOVE: Hal and Sheryl Stivens

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Author:  Mercedes Walkham is part of a collective organic garden based in Ashburton. She is pictured here with Sheryl.

Sri Lankan pulled jackfruit curry

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By Kelsi Boocock 

I tried jackfruit for the first time when I was in Sri Lanka a few years ago and it got me completely hooked. This is a deliciously unique curry and if you haven’t cooked with jackfruit before, this is probably one of the easiest ways to start. The green beans work perfectly to add a little freshness and crunch to the dish.

Images and text from Healthy Kelsi by Kelsi Boocock, Bateman Books, $39.99

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Ingredients 

Serves 4  

60 minutes

Jackfruit curry

  • 1 tsp             ground coriander
  • 1 tsp             ground cumin
  • 1 tsp             homemade curry powder (recipe also in the book Healthy Kelsi)
  • 1                   red chilli, halved and deseeded, plus extra to serve
  • 1                   shallot, finely chopped
  • 20                 curry leaves
  • 1                   cinnamon stick
  • ½ tsp            ground paprika
  • ½ tsp            ground turmeric
  • 400 g can     jackfruit
  • 400 ml can   coconut milk
  • 3 T                coconut yoghurt

Sweet and spicy beans

  • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 400 g green beans
  • 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped

To serve

  • 2 cups brown rice
  • Large handful of fresh coriander

Method

To make the jackfruit curry

  1. Dry roast the coriander, cumin and curry powder in a frying pan and stir until they turn dark brown.
  2. Add chilli, shallot, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, paprika, turmeric and jackfruit to pan, making sure everything is covered in the spices. Add coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Add coconut yoghurt and continue simmering over a low heat until jackfruit is tender (should take around 20 minutes).
  4. While the jackfruit is softening, cook the brown rice.

To make the beans

  1. Heat sesame oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.
  2. Add beans, coconut sugar and lemon juice and cook for 3–4 minutes, until beans are tender but still slightly crunchy. Add almonds and cook for 1 minute more.
  3. Serve curry and beans with brown rice and fresh coriander.

Hot tip: Add any vegetables you have on hand. Broccoli or cauliflower work beautifully.

Easy peri chicken dish

Easy peri peri chicken

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By Scott Gooding and Matilda Brown 

This recipe gets rolled out a lot in our house. The little kids haven’t taken to it just yet, but they will in time … and while we wait, there’s more for Til, Tashi and me. We also sell this as a ready-to-use marinade at The Good Farm Shop – it’s just so versatile.

Images and text from The Good Farm Cookbook by Scott Gooding and Matilda Brown, photography by Cath Muscat. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00

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Easy peri chicken dish

Ingredients 

SERVES 4

  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2–3 cm (3/4 – 1 1/4 inch) piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • juice of 1 lemon, plus extra for drizzling
  • 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) boneless, skin-on chicken thighs charred
  • lemon halves, broccolini and radicchio wedges, to serve

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the chicken, lemon halves, broccolini and radicchio.
  2. Mix thoroughly. Add the chicken thighs and mix to ensure they are well coated with the sauce.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat and add the chicken.
  4. Cook the fillets for 3–4 minutes, or until the chicken is caramelised, before turning over and cooking for another 3–4 minutes on the other side.
  5. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 5–7 minutes until cooked through.
  6. Transfer the chicken to a chopping board. Allow to rest for 3–4 minutes before roughly chopping.
  7. Drizzle with some lemon juice, season and serve with charred lemon halves, broccolini and radicchio wedges.
Belinda Clark with her granddaughter Isla

My journey to healthier skin

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Diet and the skin-sugar connection

For most of her life Belinda Clark has enjoyed good health, despite a tendency to do too much, but her skin has often shown when something’s amiss. Here she shares her story.

Fortunately my mother started learning about healthy food when my sisters and I were young, and my parents eventually converted their citrus orchard to being organic and biodynamic.

Our mother’s research into wellbeing strongly influenced my own choices with holistic health later. These helped me stay generally well through student and overseas years and teaching in a New Zealand Steiner school, mostly while raising three children.

I sometimes enjoyed sweet food, concerned only for my teeth and very occasional candida outbreaks, although I knew of naturopaths who advised clients to avoid it. Dr Rudolf Steiner had recommended it for some, I’d heard, and most people ate it, so I took little notice.

Twenty-two years ago, my daughters, our pets and I moved to a lifestyle block near Napier. It was lovely and brought many benefits but also new pressures, especially when I accepted a herd of angora goats.

  ABOVE: Belinda Clark with granddaughter Isla and Caspian the cat, by a raised vege bed.

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Belinda Clark is a Soil & Health member who lives near a daughter and granddaughter at Birdsong Nature Sanctuary.

She enjoys learning from and supporting Nature, writing poems and short stories for her ‘Unusual Encounters’ book, being part of an International Peace Group and singing in Napier Community Choir.

Dark chocolate crunch bars (aka ‘healthy’ protein bars)

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By Dr Linia Patel 

Many shop-bought protein bars hit your protein numbers, but they come with so many other sweeteners and additives that aren’t great for you to be eating habitually. With this recipe I tried to create a protein bar that was healthy.

Images and text from Food for Menopause by Dr Linia Patel, photography by Clare Winfield. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00

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Clients (especially those who are on the go a lot) are always asking me to recommend a protein bar. To be honest, there isn’t one that I would recommend for regular consumption! They’re okay as an occasional get-out-of-jail card, but not for regular consumption.

Many shop-bought protein bars hit your protein numbers, but they come with so many other sweeteners and additives that aren’t great for you to be eating habitually.

With this recipe, I tried to create a protein bar (without using protein powder) that was healthy. One that I would be happy to recommend my clients eat regularly. Each bar gives you about 5 grams of protein – perfect for a snack. They are high in healthy fats, so, as yummy as they taste, keep it to one per snack!

Makes 10-12 bars

Ready in 20 minutes, plus chilling

Vegan

Gluten free

Ingredients 

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 4 tbsp almond or peanut butter
  • 60g (scant ½ cup) dark (70%) chocolate chips
  • 200g (7oz) cooked quinoa
  • 70g (½ cup) whole unpeeled almonds, chopped
  • 30g (1oz) whole linseeds or flaxseeds

Method

  1. Line a small loaf, baking or cake tin with parchment paper.
  2. Either in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, melt the tahini, nut butter and chocolate together until smooth.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  4. Tip into the prepared tin and chill for at least 1 hour, then cut into 10–12 small bars.

Tips

These will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you like, you can drizzle with extra melted chocolate before slicing (as per the photo).

Differently wired brains

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By Mary Allan

“Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits”.  This is the introductory sentence on the Harvard Education blog “What is neurodiversity?”

However, unless we dig a little bit deeper that catch-all term doesn’t explain the glaringly obvious struggles some people live with or the subtle, hardly noticed nuances that make life very difficult for others.

While I applaud inclusive language and thinking, my experience as a specialist in the management of autism spectrum in schools tells me that despite changing the terminology every 30 years or so, we are still very short on understanding how to help neurodiverse people survive and even thrive in our society that caters to the less diverse majority.

Understanding what is going on for people – especially children – is the only way to inform strategies and systems to help them cope with life.

The shape of walnuts is similar to the human brain

  

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Mary Allan is a retired special needs educator who still maintains a focus on managing ASD and severe behaviour. She is a keen gardener, spurred on by the limited range of organic and GE-free foods in the supermarkets, and the need to provide gluten-free and dairy-free food for her family.