Chicory Witloof Zoom F1 - Cichorium intybus

The Witloof Chicory (Endive) Zoom F1 is a variety of excellent quality. This biennial vegetable plant is cultivated to be forced in a corner of the garden or in a cellar, forming beautiful endives that are consumed raw in salads or braised. Sowing is done from May to June for a harvest 5 months later.

The Witloof Chicory is an herbaceous plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. It bears the Latin name Cichorrium intybus foliosum but is mostly known as Endive or Chicory.

There are several types of Chicory, wild Chicories being the closest to the species that is naturally found in meadows and along roadsides. Witloof Chicory stands out for its cultivation method: it is the second shoot that is consumed after being previously forced in open ground or in a cellar.

It is a work that can be considered tedious but is rewarded with beautiful firm and white roots with a characteristic bitterness.

In the garden, Endive ideally thrives in heavy, deep, damp, and not too rich soil.

Witloof Chicory can be consumed both raw and cooked. It is equally delicious in salads, with some walnut kernels, pieces of Roquefort, and a drizzle of honey vinaigrette, as well as in a traditional bechamel gratin.

All Chicories have tonic, purifying, and slightly laxative properties.

Harvest: Witloof Chicory roots are harvested in October-November, and then the forcing can be done every 15 days to spread out the harvest.

Storage: They are kept quite well in cool conditions but must be protected from light (which is why they are usually wrapped in blue paper on the stalls).

Gardener's tip: Regular hoeing and weeding are recommended, and mulching is advised in case of drought during the period from May to October. Forcing can also be done in a cellar.