Common names: chicory, witloof, French endive, Belgian endive, succory

Botanical name: Cichorium intybus

Origin: Asia, Europe

Varieties

For chicory root: Brunswick; Magdeburg; Zealand. For Belgian endive: Witloof.

Description

Chicory is a hardy perennial with a long, fleshy taproot and a flower stalk that rises from a rosette of leaves. It looks much like a dandelion except that the flowers grow on a branched stalk and are pale blue. Chicory is grown either for its root, which can be roasted to produce a coffee substitute, or for its tender leaf shoots, which are known as Belgian or blanched endive. This plant is not to be confused with endive or escarole, which are grown as salad greens. Both chicory and endive belong to the same family, and the names are often used interchangeably, but they aren't the same plant. If you want to produce the chicory root or the Belgian endive, you grow chicory (Cichorium intybus) - you can eat the leaves, but that's not why you're growing the variety. If you're growing specifically for greens, you grow endive (Cichorium endivia). Chicory has two stages of development. The first produces the harvestable root. In the second stage, you harvest the root and bury it upright in damp sand or soil until it produces sprouts or heads of pale, blanched leaves; these heads are the Belgian endives. Once you've harvested the heads, you can still use the roots, although they won't be as satisfactory as roots grown specifically for their own sake.

Where and when to grow

Chicory is very hardy, tolerates cold, and can be grown for Its roots anywhere in the United States. Since the second stage that produces the heads takes place after harvesting, climate is not an issue. Plant chicory seeds in the garden two to three weeks  before the average date of last frost for your area.

How to plant

Chicory tolerates partial shade. The soil should be well-drained, high in organic matter, and free of lumps that might cause the roots to fork or split. Work a complete, well-balanced fertilizer into the soil before planting, at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet or 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Plant the seeds an inch deep in rows 24 to 36 inches apart, and thin them to 12 to 18 inches apart when the seedlings are four inches tall. You can eat the thinnings.

Fertilizing and watering

Fertilize before planting and again at midseason, at the same rate as the rest of the garden. Keep the plants evenly moist.

Special handling

If chicory is planted in well cultivated soil that's rich in organic matter, it should develop large roots. If you're growing the plants for the roots alone, they'll be ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. If you want to produce the blanched heads, follow this procedure. Before the ground freezes, dig up the chicory roots and cut off the tops about two inches above the crown or top of the root. Store the roots in a cool, humid place - an outdoor pit or a root cellar. In winter and spring, bury the roots to "force" them and produce the blanched sprouts - for a continuous supply repeat the procedure every few weeks. To prepare the roots for forcing, cut off the tips so that the roots are six to eight inches long, and pack them upright in a box, pot, or other container filled with fine sand or a mixture of sand and peat moss. Cover the tops of the roots with seven or eight inches of sand or sawdust, water thoroughly, and keep at a temperature of 60° to 70°F. Put them in your basement or in a cold frame or trench in the garden. You may need to water occasionally during the three or four weeks the heads take to develop. When the heads break the surface, remove the potting material and cut the heads with a knife where they meet the root.

Pests

Chicory has no serious pest problems. It's a good crop for the organic gardener who doesn't mind doing the extra work that chicory requires in its second stage of growth.

Diseases

Chicory has no serious disease problems.

When and how to harvest

It takes more than 100 days to produce a mature chicory root. For the traditional blanched endive, you'll have to wait three or four weeks after starting the forcing  procedure. You should be able to get 30 to 50 blanched heads from a 10-foot row of chicory plants.

Storing and preserving

Refrigerate the cut heads until you're ready to serve them, up to one week. You can keep the entire plant - root and all - for two to three months in a cold, moist place, or you can dig up the roots and store them for 10 to 12 months.

Serving suggestions

The roots of chicory are sometimes roasted and ground to add to coffee or used as a coffee substitute. Wash and dice the root, then dry it and roast it before grinding. Blanched endive heads are good braised or in salads. Mix endive with peppers, artichoke hearts, and sardines for an Italian-style salad, or with olives, cucumbers, anchovies, and tomato wedges in the Greek manner.