A gift of Babington Leeks!

I am SO excited! One of my gardening friends just sent me a handful of bublets to start some Babington Leeks! (Bublets are what's grown from the flowers at the top of the stalks, whereas bubils come off the root.) The most important thing about them to me besides edibility... is that they are perennial!!

Now, this is NOT a leek in the traditional sense. It is more of a Wild Leek, but not to be confused with the N. American Allium tricoccum of the same name, and more commonly known as ramps. In tidewater Virginia, this plant is commonly known as the “Yorktown Onion.” 

The Babington leek has many uses... the greens can be harvested and cooked during winter, tasting a bit like shallots. The bublets taste more like leeks, and the bulbs and bubils (underground) taste more like garlic. Medicinally, Babington Leeks have about  same properties as garlic.

It will take 2-3 years to get these established to edible size in my garden but I'm really looking forward to them! (Assuming I don't kill them while I'm trying to sprout them.)