Chickory Preparation

[microcollie]

I'm posting this here, but I'm not sure if "Herbs" is quite the right forum...Maybe "Recipes"? Please feel free to move it if you think it belongs elsewhere.

Coffee is one of those things that I can't make myself give up in my quest to eat local. But as I was out in the field today, I had an epiphany...I was surrounded by a whole field of chickory. (Beautiful among the goldenrods and ironweed!) I've tasted it in the past as a substitute for coffee, and it's passable. I think I'd still buy some coffee and mix the two. Anyway, anyone know if common chickory (cichorium intybus, if my memory serves me) is the same thing that the beverage is derived from? I assume that the root is roasted? Anyone know anything about it?

[cynthia_h]

here are my shreds of info, posted over a year ago:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=84481

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Sage Hermit]

You must post a follow up to your epiphany/findings. Or I will hunt you down and clip your fingernail too close.

[microcollie]

You must post a follow up to your epiphany/findings. Or I will hunt you down and clip your fingernail too close.

I've always known that gardeners have a dark side that rears its ugly head only at plant sales and when others won't share their secrets.

I dug out some chicory over the weekend (no easy feat! Roots were the size/look of big parsnips and they were out in a field that has never been cultivated. It gets back to that post in another forum about strong forks!) Anyway, after a little research online, I scrubbed them, chopped them and put some in the oven to roast. (I was drying the last of my tomatoes for the freezer, so it was perfect timing.) I had chopped them pretty small, so within an hour at about 200 degrees, they were dry. I ground some, prepared it like coffee...It wasn't bad! I would not say that it was just like coffee, a little milder flavor with a hint of sweetness. Over the next week, I'll try different blends with coffee and keep you posted.

I also have some roots chopped and drying in the sun (wouldn't you know it's raining for the first time in weeks), in the hopes that I can get there without the oven. My hope is to get them to dry, then put them in a hot oven only long enough to impart a bit more "roasted" flavor. My other option would be to try fire-roasting some at the grill. All in all, certainly worth some more testing. I also read that a similar thing can be done with dandelion roots, but that's for another day.

On another note, I learned that Belgian endive is actually chicory that's been forced in the dark from a root cutting...who knew? Not sure if it's the same species or not...need to do a little more reading before going down that alley.

I'll add to this after more testing, lest my fingernails bear the wrath of angry gardeners.

[applestar]

I'll eagerly await your report (and fend of Sage Hermit with a nail file for you if necessary in the mean time ). I do have dandelions to spare, but I'll have to see what happened to my chicory -- I kind of forgot about it . I may have to go hunt up some seeds from roadsides....

[Runningtrails]

This is interesting! I have lots of both chicory and dandelion. I have been planning on digging up my chicory and drying/grinding it too, just haven't gotten there yet. May not get there before the ground freezes this year.

You can eat the young tender leaves in salad. I often walk around the garden and pick the salad fresh for dinner from the various things and sometimes "weeds" that I have growing.

[digitS']

I've done this now and then, for several years.

Dandelion roots washed and ready for processing:
[img]https://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/Digit_007/Springo9004.jpg[/img]

Toasting, with full attention, in hot castiron:
[img]https://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/Digit_007/Springo9009.jpg[/img]

The result is good, no more than 1:1 (for my tastes), with ground coffee.

Steve