In love with bitter greens Discover flavour series 4: bitter
Before I discovered the taste of black coffee as a student, I was allowed as a teenager to have “Muckefuck” or “Caro-Kaffee”, a cereal coffee made from the roots of chicory, ground rye and barley without the addictive caffeine. Much later in life did I start growing chicory, radicchio and endive as part of my obsession with taste and flavour in lettuces for salads. Now they are a fantastic crop for Winter harvesting in my polytunnel and I love the bitterness in their leaves.
Chicory, radicchio and endive
are not common vegetables in Irish gardens, but that is going to change not least because of the pioneering organic garden queen Joy Larkcom. Asked recently at a public interview at the GIY Growfest in Waterford about what she wanted to see happening, she said: ”I would hope gardeners grow more chicory, because they have many merits. They are naturally robust, are mostly easily grown, have few pests and utilize ground that would otherwise be idle in Winter.”
Then there’s the fact that chicories are such a useful crop, since they provide welcome salad leaves from Autumn right through till early Spring, if you stagger your sowing and choose varieties that mature at different speeds. I sow into modules late July and early Agust and then plant early September into ground recently vacated by broad beans, garlic or potatoes. They are not particularly difficult to grow or fussy about soil type and they are very hardy.
The chicories (Cichorium Intybus) are wonderfully diverse and there are several distinct varieties. Radicchio is the popular Italian name for chicory and Rossa die Treviso, Palla Rossa and the green leafed Sugar Loaf are my favourites. Endives (Cichorium Endivia) are another group in the chicory family and like the broad-leafed Nuance and the curly-leafed Pancalieri. The latter virtually self- blanching.
I also try to produce ‘Chicons’ by forcing chicory in late Autumn and Winter. I lift the thickest roots, cut the leaves back just above the roots and forced them in a pot of compost in a dark, warm place. It takes about three weeks to produce the ‘chicons'.The ‘Witloof' type Metafora is ideal for this purpose.
Healthy, nutritious bitter greens
Bitter greens have a bold flavour that may take some getting used to, but the health benefits are definitely worth the effort! Bitter greens are packed with vitamins A, C and K, and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium. Filled with folate and fibre and low in fat and sodium, these greens are a nutritional powerhouse!
Eating bitter food activates taste buds that simultaneously stimulate enzyme production and bile flow, which promotes digestion. The better your food is digested, the more nutrients you'll absorb from your food. The high fibre content in bitter greens also helps to eliminate waste through the digestive tract. They're digestive magic.
What’s more, bitter greens also promote natural detoxification of the liver, which regulates cholesterol, balances hormones and detoxifies the blood. Eating more bitter greens helps to digest fats in a more efficient manner.
They'll balance your taste buds and reduce cravings.
Ayurveda recommends we consume all tastes for better health: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Unfortunately, a western diet primarily consists of sweet and salty tastes, and is lacking in others. It is to our benefit to eat foods that activate all of our taste buds and start with incorporating some seriously healthy bitter greens! It’s also been suggested that consuming bitter greens may also reduce food cravings and aid in weight loss!
What are you waiting for!
Essential reading: The salad garden by Joy Larkcom
Organic seeds for chicory, endive and radicchio from www.theorganiccentre.ie
@Hans Wieland