Do you know radicchio?

Through farming, I get to know new vegetables and radicchio is the most confusing one!

There are many varieties of them and each look really different. We planted 4 of them this year.

The photos are from seed companies and they look beautiful. In reality, It is hard to grow them. They don’t always form a ball and they often go bolting in warmer weather. What’s more confusing is that they have another name, “chicory”. Chicory I knew was a roadside weed with blue flowers. Their young leaves are bitter and edible and the roots can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

In fact, radicchio is a cultivated chicory for the leaves, and eaten mainly in Italy and Greece. They can be eaten raw or cooked. To eat raw in salad, vinaigrette with lemon juice and honey would go well with it to compensate the bitterness. When they are cooked, bitterness subside (to some degree) and distinct flavour remain. Last week, we made a stir-fry with shiitake mushrooms, komatsuna and chopped walnuts and seasoned with miso and maple syrup.

We have some radicchios for the market this week. They won’t last long, so please get them while you can.

Another cultivated vegetable from chicory is “endive”. They are often grown in the absence of sunlight to make it less bitter and more flavourful, and keep the color pale. We have some seeds and will plant for fall harvest. We will keep you posted.

For our farm gate sale this Wednesday at 10am-1pm, we have salad mix(6), komatsuna(4), zucchini(3), kale(4), radicchio(5), collard(4), chard(4), 4 kinds of lettuces (see photos) (Prices are in bracket). We also have some herbs (thyme, oregano, sage, tulsi) growing in our garden, available to order. Please place an order by the end of Tuesday through sorafarmveggie@gmail.com, or just drop by and let us pick what you would like. Address is 1820 Seymour road, Gabriola Island.

You can also place an order and pick it up at the Wednesday market, which runs at 4pm – 6pm at AGI hall.

Enjoy summer!