Non-traditional Vegetables - Chicory

In short: Chicory is grown in two stages: sow seeds 1-2 cm deep from May to June and let the roots develop until autumn, then force the lifted roots in complete darkness at 12-18 °C in moist substrate. White chicons reach 12-15 cm and are ready to cut after 3-4 weeks.

Unusual Vegetables - Chicory

Salad chicory - is an annual vegetable, also called cichorium, related to root chicory. Root chicory was cultivated in the past for its root, which was a coffee substitute called cicorium. The original plant of this species common chicory, is widely known here. It grows wild on field margins and along roadsides. It blooms with small blue flowers. Leaf chicory (lat. Cichorium endivia) is a leafy biennial vegetable, forming a turnip-like root and leaf rosette in the first year. This type of chicory belongs to the Asteraceae family. We grow chicory for the so-called chicory chicons. These chicons can nowadays be commonly found in all supermarkets and are a tasty addition to vegetable salads. Growing fresh chicons in your own garden bed is very simple.

Growing Chicory

Growing salad chicory is not at all complicated as it appears at first glance. It's also meaningful for owners of small gardens. Forcing chicory is also easy. Therefore, you can have a supply of fresh salad throughout winter.

For cultivation, we can choose from these types of chicory:

• red heading chicory
• chicory for forcing
• leaf chicory, salad chicory

Chicory roots can be forced in a suitable, dark place. This could be, for example, in an unused barrel, or even an old bucket. Indeed, any chicory lover can try this and thus have a supply of valuable vitamins from fresh vegetables even during winter.

Common chicory is not particularly demanding regarding soil. It gives the best harvest in soils suitable for growing carrots and beets. The soil should therefore be deep, well-dug and loosened, slightly loamy-sandy. Kept free of aggressive weeds. Well-supplied with nutrients and containing lime. Sandy soil that is too dry or waterlogged is not suitable for growing chicory.

When sowing chicory, wait until it warms up. Early sowing is not recommended. For summer consumption, sow chicory in April/May, for winter consumption sow chicory in June. We don't sow chicory too early in the bed to prevent it from bolting. Chicory is sown either directly in the designated bed, or in a seed bed, from which the chicory is then transplanted into rows, 15 cm apart from each other. Chicory needs regular watering. The harvest of roots for forcing, similar to beets, takes place at the end of September. Roots are dug up with digging forks. After digging, it's good to leave the chicory roots for a few days on the bed, covered against frost. The roots are cleaned of soil and the leaves are cut off 2-3 cm above the top of the root, while protecting the heart leaves. If the chicory heart were damaged, the roots would be worthless. The roots are then left to dry. The thicker the chicory root, the more beautiful the chicon, leaf. The roots are then best stored in a cellar, in slightly moist sand. They are placed tightly next to each other, vertically. The most suitable temperature in the cellar is 0-7°C.

This method of forcing chicory is the most natural process. With this cultivation method, you have plenty of vitamins during the winter period from December to April. You save energy and time. The buds can be grown in a relatively small space. And there is also no risk of increased nitrate content from lack of sunlight in winter.

Harvesting chicory buds begins when they break through the first layer of soil placed over the roots. Either loose soil or a layer of sand. Each root contains enough strength to nourish the growing leaves for three weeks. We can therefore harvest the leaves and thus make our chicory last longer. Chicory buds grown in this way have a delicate taste. Forcing chicory in dark rooms is called blanching or etiolation. The bitterness of chicory is not harmful; in fact, this taste increases its disease resistance and frost tolerance. Bitterness of the buds may occur in chicory grown in beds.

How to proceed when forcing chicory in a bucket:

• Place the chicory roots in the bucket tightly next to each other.
• Trim the roots to the same height.
• The optimal size of chicory roots for forcing is a root length of 25-30cm with a chicory head diameter of 4 cm.
• Pour water up to approximately 2/3 of the bucket or other container you use.
• The water must not overflow the ends of the chicory roots; keep this in mind when adding water to the bucket.
• Cover the bucket over the handle with black opaque film.
• Maintain a temperature around 18°C.
• The buds will mature in 3-4 weeks. Cut off the buds and use them. Then compost the roots.

Common chicory can be used in two ways, utilizing both leaves and roots. Large-scale growers and distributors grow chicory buds in large halls where the roots are placed in several levels in troughs filled with nutrient solution. The largest chicory growers are Belgians and French. We keep harvested chicory buds in black opaque film before consumption to prevent them from becoming bitter.

Chicory in the kitchen

Depending on the variety, chicory is prepared in the kitchen as a salad or like cauliflower. For preparation, it is worth mentioning that chicory leaves should be soaked in water for half an hour before final preparation. We can also prepare it braised with hollandaise sauce, similar to asparagus. A salad enriched with chicory is of course a delicacy. The salad can be prepared with classic sweet and sour dressings, as well as yogurt dressings and mayonnaise-based dressings.

Common chicory contains high amounts of vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, vitamins C, A and K, and fiber. Chicory stimulates appetite and positively affects intestinal peristalsis. The slightly bitter taste of chicory improves digestion and gallbladder function.