grow | radicchio

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Chicory, Radicchio and Endive, which are all members of the same family, are becoming more popular as Australian’s tastes mature and their ability to appreciate the bitterness of some greens in a salad as well as classics like the sweet flavoured mignonette lettuces and classic ‘Icebergs’.

What many people may not realise is that they come in many forms, like the myriad of lettuces, from speckled egg looking types, to the classic frilled endive, to deep magenta leaves.  Some grow with a heart, whilst others are upright with toothed margins.

They all have a unique flavour, and the bitterness can toned down by serving them with a blue cheese dressing or tossing them in butter.  The other way you can reduce their bitterness is by the way they are grown.  Like lettuces, the faster they are grown, with regular water and fertiliser, the less bitter they will become, but, the other thing that sets these apart is that the can be blanched to make them sweeter.

Blanching in the garden is different to the kitchen; so don’t toss boiling water onto your plants!!  In the garden, blanching refers to blocking out sunlight, which is either done by placing an upturned pot over your plants, covering them in straw or, in the case of witlof (white leaf, as it translates in Dutch), roots are dug up in late summer, planted in pots of damp sand, and the resulting white shoots that appear buried in the sand over winter can be used.  These are called ‘chicons’ and are delicious in salad with orange and a mustardy vinaigrette.

So, to grow your own, simply sow them as you would lettuce, any time of the year and enjoy your health giving bitter greens in 10 weeks.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS