{"id":2742,"date":"2020-04-10T05:39:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T05:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2742"},"modified":"2020-04-10T05:40:40","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T05:40:40","slug":"chicory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/10\/chicory\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cichorium intybus  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: This vigorous perennial has a history of cultivation dating back\nto the ancient Egyptians and has been especially popular as a salad plant in\nFrance, Belgium and Italy. It was introduced into North America as a food plant\nby early European settlers and is now naturalized across most of the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a rather confusing plant because it can be used in so many\ndifferent ways. Apart from the cabbage (with its multitude of Brassica\nvariations), few plants are as versatile as the underrated (in fact largely\nignored) chicory. It has been grown for its leaves, hearts, flower stems, roots\n(for coffee) and forced shoots (known as chicons) and specific varieties have\nbeen bred for each purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some types of chicory are sometimes known as endive, which (understandably) leads to confusion with the closely related endive (Cichorium endivia<\/em>). The big difference is that chicory is a perennial with a strong swollen tap root that can produce large succulent shoots in spring, whereas endive is an annual. Chicory is also more cold tolerant and slower growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop value<\/strong>: Chicory is the source of a range of delicious salad greens and\ndeserves to be more widely grown. This neglect is no doubt because the simple\nlarge dandelion-like leaves can be very bitter (especially in warm weather). If\nyou first tasted a bitter leaf you might not try chicory again! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be really good, chicory has to be grown at the right time of\nyear and picked at the right stage of growth. The best part is the blanched\nheart of the compact head, which is quite delicious and one of the best of all\nsalad materials. As a bonus it is also available late in the year, when most\nlettuce is gone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Chicory leaves contain lots of vitamins A and C, as well as some\nvitamin E and folate. They are also rich in minerals, including calcium, iron,\npotassium and phosphorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicory is\nhigher in calories than most leafy greens, though at about 100 calories per\npound that isn\u2019t saying a lot.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Chicory<\/strong>  <\/strong>
Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 45 (60 – 65) 75\u02daF
Germ time: 7 – 14 days
Germination percentage: 70+
Viability: 4 – 6 – 8 years
Weeks to grow transplants: 4  <\/strong>

Planning facts<\/strong>
Perennial (mostly grown as annual)
Hardiness zones 3 – 11
Growing temp: 45 (60 – 65) 75\u02daF
Plants per person: 5
Plants per sq ft: 1  

Planting<\/strong>
Spring crop:
Start 8 – 10 weeks before last frost
Plant out 4 weeks before last frost
Direct sow: 2 – 4 wks before last frost date.
Fall crop:
Direct sow 8 – 12 wks before first fall frost
Days to harvest: 90 days +  <\/strong>

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Yield per plant: \u00bd – 1 lb
Yield per sq ft: \u00bd – 1 lb  <\/strong> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: Chicory is a vigorous and fairly easy crop to grow, though you have to time it right so it gets suitably cool weather. This is especially critical if you want it to produce a sweet compact head of leaves.                                           <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Chicory is a cool weather plant, growing best at 60 – 70\u02daF. It is quite hardy and can tolerate low temperatures (these result in sweeter flavor and better color). In mild winter areas it can be grown right through the winter. It will grow well enough in warm weather too, but becomes so bitter as to be pretty much inedible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.0 – 6.8 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicory\nthrives in most soil types, but for the largest roots and easier harvesting, a\nloose, rich, moderately well-drained, but fairly moist soil is best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Incorporate 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure to supply organic\nmatter. Add wood ashes for potassium and colloidal phosphate for phosphorus (or\nuse an organic fertilizer mix).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though\nchicory is a perennial, it is usually grown as an annual, as second year plants\naren\u2019t usually as good as first year plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: In cool climates chicory needs full sun, but in hotter ones it\nmay benefit from light shade\nduring the hottest part of the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: In cool climates chicory can be used as a summer crop, but in\nwarmer ones it is only grown in spring or fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: In\nareas with cool spring weather chicory can be treated like spring lettuce.\nDirect sow it 2 – 4 weeks before the last spring frost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From transplants<\/strong>:\nYou can grow chicory from transplants, started indoors 8 – 10 weeks before the\nlast frost and planted out 4 weeks before the last frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall<\/strong>: Hot\nweather makes chicory leaves intensely bitter, so in warm climates it is normally\ngrown as a fall crop. It is direct sown 8 – 12 weeks (depending upon the\nvariety) before the first fall frost, so it can mature during a cooler part of\nthe year. The seed is heat sensitive and doesn\u2019t germinate well above 80\u02daF. See\nLettuce<\/strong> for possible ways to\novercome this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roots<\/strong>: To grow the roots for forcing or coffee, a suitable variety is\nplanted some time in spring. It doesn\u2019t need to be started very early, as it is\nquite fast growing and has all season to mature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong>: Chicory is often grown from transplants,\nwhich are raised like those of the related lettuce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: Plant the seed \u00bc – \u00bd\u02dd deep and 1 – 2\u02dd apart.\nWhen all have germinated start harvest thinning, to eventually reach the\ndesired final spacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roots<\/strong>: To grow roots for forcing, space the plants 4 – 5\u02dd apart in rows\n18\u02dd apart. This maximizes the number of roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds<\/strong>: Chicory may be spaced anywhere from 6\u02dd – 9\u02dd – 12\u02dd – 18\u02dd apart,\ndepending upon the variety and soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows<\/strong>: Space plants 12\u02dd apart, in rows 18 – 24\u02dd apart.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicory is an easy plant to grow (it commonly self-sows in my\ngarden) and as a perennial it isn\u2019t prone to bolting in its first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: It is important to keep the young plants free of weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: This deep\nrooted plant is very drought resistant. However a lack of water makes the\nplants even more bitter than usual and increases their chances of bolting. Keep\nthe soil evenly moist at all times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: This is\nuseful to keep down weeds and conserve moisture. In winter it can be used to\nprotect the plants from extreme cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanching<\/strong>: The\nplants are sometimes blanched like those of endive to make them less bitter.\nThe easiest way to do this is to cover the plant with an inverted flowerpot\n(close up the drainage hole). See Endive<\/strong> (below) for more on this useful technique to make plants more\npalatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests and diseases<\/strong>: Chicory retains a lot of its wild vigor and\nisn\u2019t bothered by many problems. Slugs, snails and cutworms may attack it when\nyoung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip burn<\/strong>: As the name suggests, the tips of leaves look like they have\nbeen burned. It is usually caused by excessively hot weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\nharvest individual leaves, as soon as they are of sufficient size. They are\nalways somewhat bitter, but in hot weather they become so bitter they are\nuneatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best part of the leaf chicory types is the blanched interior\nheart and to get these you must let the head form fully. You then harvest the\nwhole head and remove all of the green outer leaves (you can eat these too, if\nthey aren\u2019t too bitter. After this you are left with the pale, slightly\nyellowish and delicious heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: Store the\nleafy head like lettuce, in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week. Store\nthe chicons in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Chicory\nsets seed easily if allowed to. The flowers are pollinated by insects and will\ncross-pollinate with endive (though apparently chicory won\u2019t pollinate endive)\nor wild chicory (which is a very common wild flower). To keep a variety pure\nyou must isolate it by a \u00bd mile, or cage it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is quite hard to separate the individual seeds from the pod\n(you have to crush them to release the seeds), so they are often stored in the\nform of dried pods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing chicons<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcing the shoots<\/strong>: The roots are forced indoors to provide the tasty white shoots\ncalled chicons<\/em>. This has become a major industry in Belgium and they are\nsometimes available in supermarkets under the name Belgian endive. They provide\na fresh green vegetable in the middle of winter, when few others are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To grow\nchicons you dig the roots in late fall, after the tops have died down and they\nhave been vernalized by cold weather. By this time they should be as big as\nparsnips. Cut off the dead top, leaving only an inch of stem. Also trim off the\nbottom of the root, so they are a uniform length of about 8\u02dd. These are then\nstored in a cool root cellar, or in a trench in the ground, until needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For forcing the roots are planted in a deep plant pot, (as many as can easily fit\nwhen spacing them 2\u02dd apart). To start them growing they are watered and moved\nto a warm (50 – 60\u02daF) dark place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pale shoots take about 4 weeks to grow and\nare harvested when about 6\u02dd tall. The roots will usually produce 2 crops if\nwell cared for. In large commercial operations they are now often forced hydroponically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteers<\/strong>: Chicory self-sows readily and might be considered a weed if it\nweren\u2019t so useful. Not only is it edible and of medicinal value, but its bright\nblue flowers attract beneficial insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowhere is the chicory more highly esteemed than in Italy and a large\nnumber of types and varieties are available there. Some of these are now\nbecoming available here too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dandelion types<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\nclosely resemble the wild types, but tend to be less bitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Rib<\/strong>: The green leaves have red stems and are very pretty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catalogna<\/strong>: There are quite a few of these. They have long strap-like leaves\nlike a dandelion and are sometimes known as Italian dandelion. This is one of\nthe least developed types of chicory and is very close to being a wild plant\n(it has been naturalized in my garden for at least 5 years). As an almost wild\nplant it is commonly eaten in spring, though it becomes impossibly bitter as\nthe weather warms up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catalogna puntarelle<\/strong>: This is a catalogna type that produces an edible flower shoot in\nlate winter or spring. This is somewhat bitter but in Italy (especially Rome)\nit is highly prized as a spring treat. These are excellent in salads, but can\nalso be cooked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sugar Loaf types <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are\nfairly similar to the raddichios and produce similar compact heads of tight\nleaves in cold weather. They superficially resemble a Chinese cabbage and are\nquite a substantial food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart\nof these heads is naturally blanched and is succulent, bitter\/sweet and\ndelicious. These leaves are almost universally pronounced to be superior to any\nlettuce. They can also be used as a cooked vegetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed is\nplanted in late spring and early summer to mature in fall and winter, when they\nproduce their dense heads. In very cold areas it helps to protect them with a\nthick mulch (even though this is a pretty hardy plant anyway). They are\nperennial and so independent they can be naturalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roots\ncan also be dug and forced indoors like witloof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sugar\nLoaf<\/strong> (Pain de sucre) (pan di zucchero) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenlof<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sugarhat\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanc\nde Milan <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtus\nF1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcing types<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witloof<\/strong>: This variety is grown for forcing and the resulting chicons are\noften called Belgian endive, even though it isn\u2019t really endive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Totem F1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Root types<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magdeburg<\/strong>: This is grown for its edible roots (for coffee).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greens<\/strong>: The tender new spring leaves can be used in the same ways as the\nrelated dandelion, They are most often used as salad greens, but as the plant matures they become impossibly bitter.\nBlanching reduces this considerably and this probably led to the forcing of the\nroots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though we think of chicory as a salad plant it can also be cooked\nand deserves to be more widely used in this way. You can reduce its bitterness\nwhen cooking, by changing the cooking water after a minute or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee<\/strong>: Chicory root has been widely used as a coffee substitute or\nextender and many people say it actually improves the flavor of coffee. It may\nalso reduce its harmful effect on the liver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make chicory \u201ccoffee\u201d the cleaned roots are dried thoroughly,\nuntil they are so brittle they snap easily. They are then ground to a powder\nand roasted in an oven until uniformly brown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drink is prepared by mixing a teaspoon of the roasted powder with a cup of boiling water. You can also add roasted sprouted barley, carob, cinnamon, or other goodies. It is sometimes mixed with an equal amount of coffee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radicchio<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cichorium<\/em> <\/em>intybus<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally\nbred in Northeastern Italy, this type of chicory has become very fashionable in\nrecent years. It is prized for its small dense head of colorful, sculptural,\nspectacular, crisp, succulent and slightly bitter leaves. However it only tastes good when grown at the\nright time of year (in cold weather). Plants grown when it isn\u2019t cold enough\nhave been called rad-yuck-io. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radicchio\nis cultivated in the same way as chicory. It can even be forced indoors in the\nsame way to produce red chicons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong>: From the gardeners viewpoint radicchio can be divided into two\ntypes, forcing and non-forcing. A percentage (sometimes a significant one) of\nboth types won\u2019t produce the desired compact heads. This is one of the reasons\nit is often quite expensive to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcing types<\/strong>: These varieties need cold weather to stimulate them to produce a\ncompact head. Cold weather may kill the outer leaves, but the colorful head\nwill emerge from underneath them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nVerona <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treviso<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-Forcing types<\/strong>:\nSometimes called chioggia types, these varieties produce a head even without\ncold weather. However you might have to stimulate them to head up by cutting\noff most of the top growth (leave only 2\u02dd of leaves). The resulting new growth\nshould then form a head<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Castelfranco<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chioggia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palla\nRossa<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giulio<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cichorium intybus  Introduction: This vigorous perennial has a history of cultivation dating back to the ancient Egyptians and has been especially popular as a salad plant in France, Belgium and … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaf-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/chicory.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2742"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2749,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742\/revisions\/2749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}