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Alien Plants
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The Monday Garden
July 13, 2003, issue no. 68
Invaders' Salad: Chicory
by Sue Sweeney
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"Hardy" seems a woefully insufficient word to describe chicory, pictured here
in the "grass" at our local police station during last summer's severe drought. |
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Chicory (Latin: cichorium intybus) is a member of the aster-sunflower
family, related to dandelions (European) and the endive (Chinese). Humans have
used chicory for medicine and food probably since there were humans in Central
Europe. Ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian writings refer to it as a specific
for the urinary and digestive tracks, and the liver, as well as a poultice for
external inflammations.
Sky-blue chicory has been a life-long summer companion. Along with Queen Anne's
Lace, another European invader blessed (armed?) with a deep taproot, it's often
only plant blooming in a drought. Chicory's leaves resemble those of its
dandelion cousin, and chicory also has a white milky sap. Chicory's seeds are
spread easily by wind and bird. While chicory, like dandelions, is ubiquitous,
it doesn't appear on the North American dangerous invasive species lists.
Interestingly, its flowers, which last only a day, open and close at set times,
making chicory useful for a "floral clock".
In the USA, we do use chicory in New Orleans-style coffee, and include it in
fresh "mesclun" salad mixes at fancy restaurants. Our rabbits are reputed to
be very fond of it and it's being promoted as a prebiotic digestive aid for
dogs.
The Europeans blanch chicory for salad. Blanching, a process often used with
asparagus, is done by growing the plant in the dark which keeps the leaves pale
and mild in flavor. Blanching can be done outdoors by keeping the young
chicory plants covered with soil, and indoors by sprouting chicory roots in a
dark, cool place.
Several countries use chicory for animal fodder. In New Zealand it's planted
as a cover crop between the rows in grape arbors; the long taproots absorb
excess water, making the grapes sweeter. In old times, the flowers were used as
a blue dye, and the roots with other chemicals were used for a yellow dye.
For the Monday Garden's "Eat An Invader Today" Club, try oranges and chicory
with poppy seed dressing.
www.liglobal.com/hf/diet/recipes/salad/food.shtml
or tomatoes and blanched chicory with vinaigrette dressing
www.taoherbfarm.com/herbs/herbs/chicory.htm
. For interesting uses for radicchio, the Italian version of chicory,
see
http://italianfood.about.com/blind47.htm.
However, don't over indulge. Like many foods, chicory is not good for you in
large quantities. |
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