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Babbington Leek
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Posted by Winemaker1942 Z7NC (My Page) on Sat, Apr 23, 05 at 19:42
| Anyone know of a source that can ship to U.S.A.?? Also want source for "Wild Leek" that taste like garlic, has solid bulb with bulbils up to 2inch.. any ifo greatly appreciately!! Thanks!! Joe |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Babbington Leek
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| I don't think wild leek is australian native. The only think which sounds vaguely like what you are talking about is the murray river lily, crinum flaccidum(?), but I wouldn't eat that. Try looking for Allium species, perhaps Allium tricoccum. |
RE: Babbington Leek
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Hi Joe,
There is an Australian native called Wild Leek (Bulbine bulbosa) eaten cooked by the Aborigines as a source of starch. However, it doesn't taste like garlic at all, it's quite bland. If it tasted like garlic, we Australians with our bizarre humour probably would have called it Wild Garlic or Native Garlic & not Leek. I believe you may be thinking of Tulbaghia violacea, commonly called Society Garlic (socalled because of its alleged lack of causing garlic breath) or Wild Garlic & also known as Pink Agapanthus. A South African native with the same culinary use as the common garlic but milder. A reliable warm climate bulb liking lots of sun & water with the characteristic mauve pom pom blossom of the onion family. Both plants & their seed are readily available on American eBay or your larger seed merchants like J L Hudson of La Honda, CA. & online US nurseries. Source for what to be shipped to the USA? You have greater availability of plants there than we have in Australia! Many Australian growers will ship to the States but you will have to pay for your Phytosanitary Certificate requirements etc that your government now requires on all plant & plant product imports, so add c. US$50+ All Crinum species & all parts of the plant have poisonous alkaloids which can be fatal in quantity & protects them against pests except for the specially adapted Amaryllis caterpiller. Crinum has been used medicinally by traditional cultures for the treatment of pain & skin conditions but never eaten as a food source. |
RE: Babbington Leek
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| If crinums are so poisonous, why do I always lose them to snails? :) |
RE: Babbington Leek
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- Posted by Shooa NSW Aust (My Page) on
Mon, Aug 29, 05 at 3:10
I have the yellow flowering,Adrian lilly (native leak).
But i haven't stuck it in the mouth yet! |
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