Jump into bitter greens with chicories! Chicories can include anything from colorful radicchio, frisee, endive, escarole, or even the plant grown for the root instead of the leaves (think chicory coffee). They are treasured for their bright, bitter taste. According to Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, Thomas Jefferson even described chicory as “one of the greatest acquisitions a farmer can have” in a letter to George Washington in 1795.
How to Grow Chicories
Chicories are considered cool-weather plants and hot weather will create an unbalanced extra-bitter plant. Certain plants, like endive, require a second step of re-burying the root in a root cellar to create a blanched head. With a huge range of varieties from this plant family, it’s important to find planting tips for your specific type!
Shopping for chicory seeds can be really fun! Check out radicchio, which can grow in varieties that look like roses, or even sea creatures, or have been tested for hardiness in Michigan.
Chicory Health Facts
Chicory root can really help with your digestive system, from working as a prebiotic to helping to control your blood sugar and insulin levels. It should, however, be avoided by pregnant women as it has been labeled as Possibly Unsafe for women carrying children.
Bitter greens as a group are foods with high nutrient density, as well as being low-carb and high in fiber. Endive, in particular, has a flavonoid called kaempferol that has been studied as a cancer-fighting compound.
How to Cook with Chicories
Bitter greens are easily incorporated into fresh salads, and Belgian endive, due to its slightly cupped shape, is great for hand-held appetizers. Chicory coffee has been popular since the late eighteenth century, and a version of it can be purchased from local Michigan farmers!
Radicchio is a really versatile variety of chicory that can be used fresh, and also incorporated into recipes from risotto to amaro (check out the Radicchio Zine from the Culinary Breeding Network for these recipes and more!) Roasting radicchio takes some of the bitterness away and allows it to star as a cool weather side dish. Try our easy recipe: Roasted Radicchio with Cranberry Maple Reduction.
Storing Chicories
As with most greens, the quicker you eat chicories after purchasing, the better. In the meantime, store them in the crisper drawer in an open or perforated sealable bag for best results, and remove any wilted leaves from the head before starting any recipe.
Claire Butler is the Communications Coordinator for Taste the Local Difference. Contact her at [email protected].
Interested in learning more about cool weather greens? Check out our Crop Spot for Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, or Dark Leafy Greens!