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Sweet BombDiggity Farms

Sweet BombDiggity Farms

Field Notes

Guide to Everything Chicory

Field of pale blue chicory flowers blooming along the roadside

Chicory is a tough blue-flowered perennial you can use from root to bloom. Dig the roots in fall for chicory coffee, pick the leaves in spring before the plant flowers, and snip the flowers in the morning before they close.

Foraging Guide

Chicory: The Wild Roadside Plant Worth Knowing

Everything we know about spotting it, harvesting it, storing it, and putting every part of it to use, root, leaves, and flowers.

The Root
Dug in fall, roasted for coffee, or eaten as a vegetable.
The Leaves
Picked young in spring, a bitter green for salads or sautés.
The Flowers
That periwinkle bloom, edible fresh, gone by early afternoon.
A Little History

Chicory has been used by people for centuries, but most of us know it because of a coffee shortage. During the Civil War, when coffee became scarce and expensive, people started roasting and grinding chicory root as a stand in. It worked well enough that the habit stuck, especially in New Orleans, where chicory is still blended into coffee today.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a tall, wiry perennial in the same family as dandelion and endive. Look for stems reaching 2 to 5 feet, topped with flowers in a soft periwinkle blue (occasionally pink or white), with petals that look almost shredded at the edges. It thrives in poor soil and full sun, which is exactly why you’ll find it crowding roadsides, ditches, pastures, and field edges all summer. One quirky detail, the flowers open in the morning and close by early afternoon, so if you’re out hunting for it, go before noon.

The Root

The most useful part of the plant, and the one behind that famous cup of coffee.

When to harvest Fall, ideally after the plant’s first full growing season, when the taproot is plump and not yet woody. Many foragers wait until after the first frost, when the plant pulls its energy down into the root.
How to harvest Loosen the soil deeply with a garden fork before pulling. The taproot can run a foot or more straight down, and it will snap off if you just tug from the top, leaving most of it behind in the ground.
How to store Scrub clean and refrigerate fresh roots for up to a couple weeks, the same as you would a carrot or parsnip. For long term storage, roast and dry the root completely, then keep it in an airtight jar at room temperature for several months.
How to use it Roasted and ground for chicory “coffee” (full process below). Boiled and eaten as a root vegetable, similar to a parsnip, in some traditional cooking. Used in herbal bitters and tinctures as a traditional digestive aid.

The Leaves

A bitter green that’s easy to overlook until you know what it’s good for.

When to harvest Spring, before the plant flowers. Once it blooms, the leaves get tough and noticeably more bitter, so earlier is better.
How to harvest Snip the outer leaves at the base with scissors or a knife, leaving the center growth point intact so the plant keeps producing new growth.
How to store Treat it like any leafy green. Wrap loosely in a damp towel, store in the fridge, and use within a few days for the best texture.
How to use them Toss young leaves raw into a salad for a bitter edge, similar to dandelion greens or escarole. Older leaves mellow nicely when sautéed or braised with a little fat and something acidic.

The Flowers

The whole reason you noticed it in the first place.

When to harvest Late spring through summer, whenever they’re open. Pick in the morning, since the blooms close up by early afternoon.
How to harvest Simply pinch or snip the flower head off the stem. No special tools needed.
How to store Best used the same day, they wilt quickly once picked. If you want to hold onto them a little longer, they can be dried for a delicate, slightly bitter tea, though they’re at their best fresh.
How to use them Scatter into a salad for color and a mild bitterness, or use as a simple edible garnish on a plate.

How to Make Chicory Coffee

The process that got people through a coffee shortage, and stuck around in New Orleans ever since.

1 Scrub the roots clean. No need to peel them.
2 Chop into small, even cubes, about a quarter inch, so they roast evenly.
3 Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 300°F, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, for 45 to 75 minutes, until the pieces are dark brown, brittle, and smell like coffee and chocolate.
4 Let the roasted root cool completely, then grind it in a coffee grinder.
5 Brew it just like coffee, drip, French press, or simmered in water for about 10 minutes and strained.

Traditionally, chicory is blended with real coffee at about one part chicory to three parts coffee, the same ratio that made New Orleans coffee famous. Brewed on its own, it makes a naturally caffeine free cup.

A Note on Roadside Foraging

Just because it’s growing on the shoulder of the highway doesn’t mean it’s the best patch to pick from. Roadside plants can pick up exhaust residue and herbicide spray. When you’re ready to actually harvest for eating, look a little further back, in an untreated field, pasture edge, or ditch away from heavy traffic.

Other Uses and Benefits

Coffee gets the headline, but it’s far from the only reason this plant earns its place.

Gut friendly root Rich in inulin, a natural prebiotic fiber that supports gut health.
Naturally caffeine free A gentle alternative to coffee, any time of day.
Traditional digestive bitter Used for generations to support digestion before a meal.
Livestock forage Deep rooted and drought tolerant, often planted in pasture mixes for grazing animals.
Pollinator friendly Bees are drawn to the flowers all summer long.
A Couple of Cautions

Chicory is part of the same family as ragweed, so if you’re sensitive to ragweed, introduce it slowly. And as with most herbal plants, it’s wise to use it in moderation during pregnancy.

Some of the best things on this farm were never planted. They were just found, growing right where they were always meant to be.

Now that’s BombDiggity.

Chicory questions we get asked

How do you make chicory coffee?

Scrub the roots without peeling them and cut them into roughly quarter-inch cubes. Roast at 300°F for 45 to 75 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until they are dark brown and brittle. Cool completely, grind, and brew like coffee. The traditional blend is about one part chicory to three parts coffee.

When do you harvest chicory root?

In fall, after the first full growing season and ideally after the first frost. Loosen the soil deeply with a garden fork first, because the taproot can run a foot or more.

Can you forage chicory along the road?

We would not eat it from there. Roadside plants can carry exhaust residue and herbicide. Look for chicory in an untreated field, a pasture edge or a ditch well away from traffic.

If you enjoyed this one, you might also like The Complete Herb Guide: How to Grow, Harvest and Preserve 14 Kitchen Herbs and The Complete Hydrangea Guide.

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Lane MorrisJules Morris

Written by

Lane and Jules Morris

Authors and University of Tennessee faculty writing from our farm in East Tennessee about gardening, the farm kitchen, faith and designing a flourishing life at any age. More about us

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