The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowThe Field Guideby Moss & Marrow
Also called zomerprei, winterprei.
In the Netherlands, leeks are in season July to April, at their best in October, November and December. Leeks are in season now, in November, and this is the peak.
Leeks come from the Dutch field almost all year; the gap is late spring. Winter leeks are thicker and stand through frost.
Firm white shafts and fresh green tops; slimy outer layers mean age.
Vitamin K, folate, manganese and the sulphur compounds of the allium family, plus some inulin.
To get the most: The dark green tops hold more beta-carotene and vitamin K than the white; slice them finer and cook them a little longer rather than throwing them away.
On our nutrient density chart, a normal serving of cooked leeks (100 g) gives about a fifth of a day's vitamin K and about a tenth of a day's vitamin B6, counting what your body absorbs.
Content per NEVO, the Dutch food composition database. This describes what the food contains, not what it does for you.
Slice and wash well. Sweat slowly in butter, or roast whole until soft inside and charred outside.
The dark green tops are the base of a stock, or slice them fine and cook them longer than the white. Roots fry crisp.
26 producers in The Field Guide sell leeks, according to their own website or shop list, each checked against our inclusion criteria and listed by province. Another 155 growers passed our bar for this food group; we have not yet recorded what each of them grows, so ask them or search the map.
Open on the map →Dates read on 2026-10-11. If a window on this page is wrong, tell us with a source.
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