Wild Chicory 'Selvatica Da Campo'

'Selvatica da Campo' means "Wild from the Field". This beloved variety still truly has the wild chicory flavor, which is highly appreciated in Italian cuisine! The blanched cultivation is most appreciated in the Netherlands, as 'molsla' (mole's lettuce) or as witloof. For 'molsla', you cut the already grown plant back to 10 cm above the root and cover the plant with 25 cm of soil (molehill). Covering with a black bucket or blanching pot is also possible and cleaner... For witloof, the roots are buried outdoors or covered with sand and straw in a cellar. The long, thin, deeply cut leaves are slightly bitter and give a spicy aroma to salads. Rabbits love the (waste) roots and the remaining leaves.

The chicory family includes endive, frizzy endive (kapucijnerbaard) and various types of witloof. Characteristic is the more or less present "bitterness," formerly reviled and now highly valued. Let a plant "bolt" sometime: chicory flowers are usually beautiful blue and smell of vanilla!

Names:
Latin: Cichorium intybus
Dutch: Capucienenbaard
Also known as: Kapucijnerbaard
English: Chicory