Cichorium endivia • Heirloom

Big heirloom energy. This frilly, gorgeous, massive endive lives up to its name. It goes hard through frost and heat and its slightly bitter, nutty taste can be added to sweet salads with apples, pears, honey, nuts, and cheese or blanched and seared for spectacular cooked dishes.

JOY MAX SCALE ✦✦✦✦✦

The heart of the endive is slender and best blanched and cooked until tender.

✦ Grows up to 2’ tall. Make sure to space your plants out 12” for best results. We will fold up the outer leaves to blanch the interior as the crop matures.

✦ Powers through frost and heat. Cold exposure will make the endives much sweeter.

✦ Trim leaves along the long growing cycle to add frills and texture to salads. Cook the mature endives for elegant and tasty dishes.

✦ Endive is great for lowering blood pressure, preventing anemia, contributing to healthy pregnancies, and regulating blood sugar.

✦ Open-pollinated

Basic Growing Information

Sow seeds 1/4” deep (just barely cover) 4 inches apart. Thin successful seedlings to 12-18” apart. Thinning is important; crowded plants may bolt and go to seed. Keeping the soil moist is imperative not only through germination but also throughout the growing season. Lack of water will slow growth and cause the leaves to become bitter. You can also start indoors and then set out once temps are reliably below 80°.

BLANCHING: Endive is commonly blanched to remove some of the bitter flavors. Blanching covers the heart of the plant depriving leaves of sunlight and slowing the production of chlorophyll which causes bitterness. Blanch endive 2 to 3 weeks before mature harvest. Here are three ways to blanch endive: 1. Pull the outer leaves together and hold them in place with a tied string or rubber band; be sure leaves are not wet before pulling them together or they may rot; 2. Lay a board on supports over the center of the row that shades the center of the plants; 3. Place a flowerpot over each plant. Plants will be blanched in two to three weeks.

PLANT HEIGHT: 12” PLANT WIDTH: 22-24” PLANT SPACING: 12-18” SEED SPACING: 2” SEED DEPTH: 1/8” IDEAL TEMP: 45-75º Germination: 4-10 DAYS TO MATURITY: 55-85 SOIL: Loose & fertile LIGHT: Full sun in fall, Part-shade in spring

Tips for Growing Endive

Endive grows best in full sun. It will still grow with as little as 2-3 hours of sun a day but the heads won’t be as well formed.
It needs well-drained, moist soil. Amend the soil with compost prior to planting. Endive prefers a soil pH of 5.0 to 6.8.
This endive is very large so think ahead when planning your garden. If you have lots of room, you may want to go for it and devote some space to fully maturing the crop to cook up in 3 months or so. If you don’t have that much space, then just a plant or two will be enough for all the salads you’ll ever want.
Make sure you read the instructions above about blanching if you want to harvest the hearts of the plant. Their flavor will be much improved. It’s not difficult, you are just hiding the heart from the sun however you can manage it.
When you harvest, cut through low to the ground and it will regrow, or just harvest baby leaves along the way when they are 2” long.

Companion Planting

Radish, turnips, parsnip. Do not plant with pumpkin or squash.

Salad King Endive