Wegwarte: planting, effect & use

The chicory along the way delights us with beautiful flowers and also enriches us with culinary delights. The roots of the chicory served as a substitute for coffee for a long time and could still be used today as a regional coffee alternative through their own cultivation.

The Wegwarte (Cichorium intybus) is a plant native to Central Europe that has been with us for hundreds of years and even tells us the time with the help of a flower clock. The flowers open at around 5 a.m. and close at 11 a.m. Get the common chicory and enjoy coffee from its roots while you use the flower to tell the time. Incidentally, the common chicory is the ancestor of today's chicory salads.

Wegwarte: origin and characteristics

The Common Wegwarte (Cichorium intybus) is one of the most common native wild plants that also occur naturally in western Asia and northwestern Africa. Due to its versatile applicability, it has meanwhile been distributed in many other places around the world. As its name suggests, the chicory is often on the side of the road and can hardly be overlooked, especially in the height of summer when it is blooming.

The common chicory was already used in Egypt as a useful and medicinal plant and is still used today. Because the plant is native to us and was also used, the chicory received many popular names such as path lights, coffee herbs or blue thistles. Nowadays it is mainly called chicory or chicory.

As a wild plant, the chicory is genetically the mother of several important cultivated and useful plants. Several varieties are known that originally descended from the chicory, such as:

• Chicory Salads: Chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum), Radicchio (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum) and Sugar Loaf (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum f. cylindricum)

• Root chicory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum)

Is the chicory perennial?

The chicory appears to be perennial, but is only two-year-old. In the first year it is in the vegetative phase and forms a rosette of leaves. In the second year the generative phase takes place, with flower and seed formation.

How do I recognize the common chicory?

• The common chicory is a somewhat woody, biennial, herbaceous plant from the sunflower family (Asteraceae), which can be recognized by the flowers.
• The flower heads are 3 to 4 cm wide and of the 2 rows of bracts, the inner one is longer and upright, the outer one shorter and spread out and blooms from July to October with showy, mostly light purple or lavender colored flowers.
• The flower heads open before sunrise and begin to close in the afternoon. Each individual flower opens only once and fades after a day.
• At the tips of the stamens, white pollen collects early in the morning, which is visited by bees and butterflies.

• In the flowering period the chicory has a tough, furrowed and more or less hairy stem.
• It can be up to 1.5 m high.
• The leaves are stalked, lanceolate, unlobed and 10–32 cm long and 2–8 cm wide.
• Like the dandelion, the chicory contains a white milky sap.

Confusion of the chicory: Without its flowers in the first year, the chicory looks confusingly similar to the dandelion. Both also have a similarly bitter taste and a milky juice. Dandelions are not poisonous and are used in the kitchen in a similar way to chicory.

The most beautiful chicory species and varieties

In spite of its obvious beauty, more useful than ornamental varieties have emerged from the common chicory.

• White chicory (Cichorium intybus 'Albus'): The white chicory is a selection of the common chicory, which bears white flowers that give it its name.
• Radicchio (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum): Radicchio usually has red or red-green colored leaves that form compact heads. Some only refer to the white-veined, red-leaved type as radicchio, also known as red endive and red chicory. It has a bitter and spicy taste that softens when grilled or roasted.

• Sugar Loaf (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum f. cylindricum): It forms loose, green heads, similar to romaine lettuce. Sugar Loaf is a salad that can be stored for a long time. If the seeds are sown late in May, the lettuce will be significantly more bitter.
• Chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum): This chicory subspecies is harvested as pale or red buds, depending on the variety. Compared to other chicory subspecies, the Chicory very mild in taste. It is expelled from roots without soil and light in a special process.

• Root chicory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum): Root chicory is processed into a coffee substitute. It has particularly thick roots and is even used to make plastic.

Planting chicory: sowing, location and Co.

The cultivated forms of the chicory are usually planted, but you can also establish the wild form in your garden. The chicory is not a demanding plant, as evidenced by its thriving on neglected roadsides. It prefers a permeable, mineral-rich and calcareous soil. Too humus, moist and nutrient-rich subsoil even inhibits their development and prevents recurring seeding. Lean such soils with sand or gravel. If you want to harvest the roots, you should make sure that the substrate is loosened before planting.

Try to give the chicory full sun. It can also tolerate partial shade, but thrives best in six or more hours of sun per day.

Tip: The chicory loves base-rich soils. So, if you have lime on hand for the garden, mixing it in at the planting stage can help the plant grow.

Sowing of chicory: Only sow the plant outdoors after the last frosts. The seeds should be two pieces at a distance of 40 cm from each other. The seeds should be covered with a thin layer of earth or sand. The seeds germinate after two to three weeks. The weaker seedling can be removed after emergence.

The seeds can also be grown indoors from the beginning of April. Use special potting soil that is loose and poor in nutrients. Our Plantura organic herb & sowing soil is peat-free in contrast to the commonly available cultivation soil. At 20 ° C, germination only takes one to two weeks and after germination the young plants will be best at a cooler 15 ° C and placed in a bright place so that they develop normally and not horny. After the last frosts, plant the young plants in the garden at a distance of 40 cm. You can then also put the plant in a tub and place it on the balcony or terrace. Use a slim, tall vessel so that the long root has enough space.

Proper care

Sometimes the chicory can also be a nuisance in the garden. The seeds are not spread by the wind like those of the dandelion, so they don't appear in random places - unless a bird carries the seeds out. However, keep your eyes peeled and tear out any seedlings that sprout where you don't want them. Cut off the flowers when they have opened to prevent re-sowing.

If you are growing in a tub, you should give a liquid fertilizer every six weeks. Otherwise the chicory does not need any special care. It is best to use a primarily organic liquid fertilizer, because the chicory cannot tolerate sudden bursts of nutrients. A mostly organic fertilizer like ours Plantura organic flower fertilizer prevents this slight over-fertilization, because the nutrients are available quickly, but not in one fell swoop.

The chicory is usually spurned by pests. But aphids like the black bean louse can definitely get a taste for the sap-rich plant. The chicory usually copes well with the pests. But if their presence bothers you, you can read up on how to do this with us Fight aphids naturally can.

Do I have to protect the plant in winter?

The chicory is at home with us and does not need winter protection.

Multiply chicory

The chicory is propagated by seeds. These are abundantly formed in late summer, so you can harvest them and dry them on a kitchen towel for a week. Then store the seeds in a cool and dark place, for example in a garden shed. You can also sow them again in autumn, which often produces stronger young plants and saves you storage.

Uses and effects of the chicory

The leaves of the chicory can be eaten raw, but they usually taste bitter, especially the older ones. This taste is valued in certain kitchens, for example in Italy and also in the southern part of India. In Albania the leaves are used as a substitute for spinach, mainly steamed and marinated in olive oil, or as an ingredient in fillings.

The juicy leaves don't dry well, so use them right away. You can store the harvested greens in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Wash them just before use to make them last longer. Wet leaves rot faster. Boiling and draining the water will reduce the bitterness of the leaves.

For use as a coffee substitute, conserve the roots by cleaning them and scraping the peel off. Then cut them into inch-sized pieces. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and toast them until they turn dark brown. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on how thick the roots are. Keep an eye on them while roasting and turn them occasionally to allow for even drying. If you smell a coffee-like smell, it's time to take it out. It is best to store them in a cool and dark place so as not to lose the aromas. Chop up the roasted roots like coffee beans and brew your own, regional “coffee”.

The numerous bitter and tannins as well as the inulin in the roots make the chicory a medicinal plant with various uses, including in naturopathy. Scientific evidence for its use in conventional medicine is so far rare. Empirically, however, the help of a tea made from chicory root has been proven very well for digestive problems. For this, 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of crushed roots are scalded with 200 ml of water and strained after five to seven minutes.

Is the chicory healthy?

All parts of the plant are edible. Wegwarte is also used as fodder and can be safely consumed by humans and animals.

Is the chicory healthy?

Chicory, especially the root, is a healthy addition to any diet. The root contains the prebiotic fiber inulin, which is also found in Jerusalem artichoke. Inulin regulates the insulin level and serves in the intestine as food for important intestinal bacteria in our body. However, too much fiber can also lead to indigestion, which is why chicory should not be consumed in large quantities.

An old medicinal plant, the effect of which is better supported by scientific studies, is that Fenugreek. You can also enjoy its special taste as a tea or as a spice.