Wild Chicory / Blue Sailors (Cichorium intybus)

Family: Asteraceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

A tough, stiff-branched perennial with dandelion-like basal leaves, rigid wiry stems, and magnificent sky-blue ray florets that open only in early morning sunlight, sustained by a stout fleshy taproot.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Roots/Tubers, Leaves, Flowers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Deep, caramel-roasted, cocoa-like bitterness from roasted root; spring greens have an invigorating Italian radicchio bitterness — Stout taproots dug in autumn, scrubbed, diced, and slow-roasted at 300°F until dark brown and aromatic; Roasted root ground in a coffee mill to brew rich, dark, chicory coffee (historic New Orleans style); Tender early spring crown rosettes gathered before flowers emerge, parboiled or dressed with hot bacon dressing; Edible sky-blue blossoms tossed fresh into salads for striking floral beauty

Habitat & North American Range

Dry roadsides, waste places, abandoned fields, pastures, and compacted gravel soils. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)