Chicory

An Herbal Narrative

Cichorium intybus.

“What are those lovely blue flowers?”
“These are far more than lovely, they are a seasonal staple of my diet!”

Whenever I change housing chicory is the first plant I bring into my new garden. To do so, I procure the plant from the old garden or from alongside my walks, (carrying the Germanic name wegewarten, or the “watcher of the roads”, chicory is likely waiting beside your favorite path.)

While chicory is a plant that you can eat from slowly and steadily for years, transplanting it makes the perfect opportunity to enjoy a feast. I chop most the root, and roast it for a calming additive (or replacement) for my coffee. I remove and rinse the leaves for salad, stir-fry, or steaming. If I harvest at a time of year when the plant bears a stalk, I discard the stalk for compost. The stalk, however, often holds a mix of seeds and bee-loved flowers. The flowers go great in my salads and the seeds can be sewn in my garden or collected for making tasty sprouts.

After all of this I have the crown. It is edible and I would eat it if not both for its tendency to gather sand, and for it’s greater purpose. It is the magic part of the plant that connects the dark realm of the soil with the bright realm of the air. It is magic because from it, new roots and new leaves will come, and this part is what I nestle shallowly into soil. If I let it keep a few inches of its root and I water it consistently, the plant will repair itself quickly.

Whether I eat it from my garden or from the wild, chicory gives me fresh free endive, bioaccessible antioxidants, plenty of magnesium, and zinc.