When other types of greens are out of season, delicate Belgian endive is in its prime – and thank goodness for that!
This slightly bitter, nutty, and refreshingly crisp vegetable is a welcome antidote to the usual winter fare.
But before you go and purchase a packet of seeds to sow in your garden, beware: growing Belgian endive isn’t easy.
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Allowing the heads to grow to maturity requires a lot of time (we’re talking up to half a year) and multiple steps. And this most definitely isn’t a plant-it-and-forget-it type of veggie.
I’m not trying to scare you off, but I want to make sure you’re prepared for the process ahead. More than anything, you’ll need to arm yourself with plenty of patience.
On the bright side, Belgian endive is part of the same family (Asteraceae) as many tenacious plants, such as common chicory and dandelion, so you’ve got that weed-like hardiness working in your favor!
In other words, Belgian endive isn’t terribly demanding in terms of maintenance, or prone to succumbing to pests and diseases.
So why make the effort to grow Belgian endive? Well, first of all, having fresh veggies on hand in the dead of winter is priceless.
You could buy them, but Belgian endive isn’t cheap. In my neck of the woods, a pound of conventionally-grown heads costs over eight dollars. For comparison, at the same store, a pound of conventional spinach costs just two dollars.
You probably aren’t considering growing Belgian endive just to save a few bucks at the grocery store, but it’s an added bonus, right? Even better than the savings, though, is being able to tackle
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