🥬 Chicory

Chicory gives two crops: bitter-sweet leaves for salads in autumn, and pale 'chicons' (witloof) grown by forcing the roots in darkness in winter. Both are delicious, and the second is very rewarding, as it comes when little else is growing.

Sugarloaf chicory forms tall, upright heads; red-leaved types are radicchio. The blue flowers of chicory are pretty in a border, and the roots can be roasted for a coffee substitute.

Types and varieties

Chicory is grown for different crops: forced chicons, hearting heads or loose leaves.

For chicons, sow Witloof types in May to June, 1 cm deep, in rows 30 cm apart, and thin to 20 cm. For leaf chicory, sow from March to August. Choose a sunny site with deep, fertile, stone-free soil. Do not use fresh manure.

Water in dry spells. The long taproots develop through summer, and should be lifted in October for forcing.

Top tips

• Sow witloof in May–June.
• Avoid stony, freshly manured soil.
• Thin to 20 cm.
• Lift roots in October.

Keep weed-free and water in dry weather. Cut off any flowering stems that appear. In October, cut the leaves to 2.5 cm above the crown and lift the roots, trimming them to about 20 cm long.

To force, pack roots upright in boxes or large pots of damp compost, with the crowns just exposed, and cover completely with a black bucket or place in a dark cellar at 10–15°C. Keep the compost damp.

Top tips

• Lift roots in October.
• Force in complete darkness.
• Keep the compost damp.
• Trim roots to 20 cm.

Watch out for

SlugsAphidsBolting from early sowingRot in forcing boxes

Cut chicons when they are 10–15 cm long, about 4 weeks after forcing begins, taking them off the root with a sharp knife. Exposure to light turns them green and bitter, so harvest and keep in the dark.

A second smaller crop may sprout from the root after cutting. Leaf chicory can be cut from late summer, and the hardier types stand through winter.

Top tips

• Cut chicons at 10–15 cm.
• Keep chicons in the dark.
• A second flush may follow.
• Cut leaf chicory in autumn.

Use chicons raw in salads, with walnuts, blue cheese, apple or orange, or braise or roast them in butter until soft and caramelised. The classic dish is chicons wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce. Leaf chicory goes well in salads and with warm dressings.

Wrap chicons in paper to keep them out of light, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Roots can be stored until needed for forcing in a cool, damp place.

Top tips

• Braise or roast to sweeten.
• Keep chicons out of light.
• Pair raw chicons with walnuts and blue cheese.
• Trim the base before use.