Chicory

Originating in Belgium , and more specifically in the area around Brussels , Brussels Endive is a variety of chicory prized for its winter harvest. Its particular cultivation, which requires forcing in the dark after germination , makes it a plant well-suited to the cold seasons , offering crisp, pale, and tightly packed leaves with a delicately bitter taste .

With its compact shape and creamy-white leaves , it brightens up winter harvests and extends the diversity of the vegetable garden into the quietest months . Its cultivation requires patience, preparation, and care , but the result—a tender, fresh, and flavorful endive— fully rewards the gardener who is attentive to the rhythms of the seasons.

The Very Fine Market Garden Chicory is a variety prized for its fine foliage and delicate texture. Its narrow, elongated, and finely divided leaves form a supple and light rosette, ideal for regular harvests. It is distinguished by a moderate bitterness, milder than that of wild chicories, making it very versatile in cooking.

In the garden, this chicory is prized for its consistent growth and adaptability to traditional vegetable cultivation. It grows quickly in cool, well-worked soil, producing tender leaves when harvested young. Its continuous growth allows for successive harvests, extending the growing season.

The Très Fine Maraîchère variety particularly appreciates cool to temperate seasonal conditions. It tolerates lower temperatures well and maintains good foliage quality when soil moisture is kept consistent. During periods of intense heat, it may develop a more pronounced bitterness, indicating that it's time to adjust watering or prioritize early harvesting.

Native to Europe , Batavian escarole is a traditional chicory that combines resilience, freshness, and hardiness . Its well-formed head with a whitish heart is surrounded by broad, crisp, and slightly wavy leaves , sometimes reaching up to 40 cm in length. Its texture and less bitter taste compared to curly endives make it particularly versatile and a welcome addition to both the garden and the table .

It thrives in temperate climates and is sown in late summer or spring, depending on the region, to provide late harvests. Its upright and structural form integrates harmoniously into ecological gardens , promoting crop rotation , extending autumn harvests , and attracting pollinators during its flowering period.

Robust and generous, it quickly becomes a reliable ally in the kitchen garden , especially for gardeners keen to diversify greenery throughout the seasons.

Developed through artisanal selection in Washington State (USA) by seed producer and breeder John Navazio, and even named in homage to the town of Bellingham ("Bellesque") where it originated, this chicory was designed to thrive in cool, humid climates . It forms a compact, curly rosette , light green with white veins, and a heart that naturally whitens. Its mild flavor, balanced with a touch of bitterness, makes it a choice salad green for autumn harvests.

Like other curly endives, it thrives in a sunny to partially shaded location and prefers loose, rich, well-drained soil. Hardy down to -1°C , it is sown in late summer for a harvest before the onset of severe frost. With low disease resistance, it is ideal for cooler-season vegetable gardens .

Native to Europe, wild chicory Palla Rossa is distinguished by its deep red foliage, which intrigues the eye and delights the gardener. Traditionally used for its young leaves in salads or cooked dishes, it embodies the perfect blend of hardiness and delicacy.

In the garden, this robust variety thrives easily in light soil and provides a beautiful, colorful presence in borders or vegetable beds. Its slightly bitter flavor and hardy nature make it a valued companion plant, bringing diversity and vitality to the vegetable garden while attracting beneficial insects.

Originating from the Mediterranean regions, this chicory embodies the rustic strength and herbaceous charm of the southern lands . Its long, serrated leaves , of an intense green, evoke the dandelion, but hide a personality all its own: crisp, fragrant, slightly bitter .

Catalogna grows vigorously, even in poor or well-drained soil , and is easily cultivated in autumn or spring. Its slender habit and resistance to light cold make it an excellent companion for mixed gardens and vegetable rotations. It attracts beneficial insects and integrates elegantly and discreetly into a living garden.