Chicory: A Versatile, Useful Weed

Chicory (sometimes spelled chickory) is a bright blue wildflower that grows along the roadside and in pastures throughout North America. It is grown in Egypt as a food staple and for medicinal purposes. It made its way to North America around the 1700s. It also has several other names: blue soldiers, succory, and coffeeweed.

It grows three to five feet high and blooms from May to October. The flowers open and close each day. I have picked chicory to have in the house as a bouquet, but the flowers didn't open back up the next morning.

The leaves of the chicory plant are very similar to dandelions and can be used as greens in salads.

The roots are long and thick, similar to the roots of dandelions. These roots can be used to make a coffee substitute or added to coffee for flavoring.

The roots (best if dug in March, April, or May) can be roasted in the oven at 300 degrees, then ground up and brewed as you would brew coffee. The benefits are that there is no caffeine in chicory and its reported to help keep your liver healthy.

If you are able to harvest the roots of wild chicory it makes for a very economical beverage.

The French used to add chicory to coffee to negate the stimulating effects of caffeine.

Some people find the taste of a straight chicory drink to have a bitter taste. Those people that add sugar and milk say they can't taste the difference between chicory and coffee.

Some coffee manufacturers add chicory to their coffee to make a unique blend of coffee which is popular in the American South.

The roots can also be boiled and eaten as a vegetable.

The chicory plant also has several medicinal purposes. A tea made of the flowers and leaves helps digestive problems. Chicory also has been used as a diuretic and laxative.

While you may regard chicory as a weed, it is grown as a crop in Nebraska. After harvesting and processing it, it is sold to manufactures to be added to coffee or sold to manufactures who add it to pet food.

The roots also contains a relatively large amount of inulin. Inulin is used as a sweetener in diet food.

If you decide you want to try your hand at growing your own chicory, go ahead. Seeds can be bought wherever garden seeds are sold. It is easy to grow and can add something different to your dining experience.