Chicory

Appears in

Published 1986

About

Cichorium intybus A perennial herb with a deep root, it grows along roads and in fields, vacant lots, and waste places. It flowers from June to October.

Chicory is one of the most striking plants because of the intense blue of its blossoms. Although the flowers last for only one day, they bloom successively for a month or more on the same plant.

The young leaves can be used in a salad or cooked as a vegetable. The roots can be boiled, but though they taste something like parsnips, they are unexciting and barely worth the effort. The roasted roots are ground and commonly used as an adulterant in coffee or as a coffee substitute.