For the first sentence in my animation , I decided to raise endive in my garden .
It ’s a challenge I ’m excited to try , but despite all the information about growing endive and even about how to glean this leafy Green River , there is a surprising dearth of info when it make out to preserving endive for tenacious - term function .
As I began see into this , I wonder dismally if it was plainly not possible to maintain witloof for usage by and by on , especially after summer ’s ending .
Luckily , that ’s not the case . There are passel of ways you’re able to preserve endive long after the harvest – and I ’ll tell you about all the methods in this article .
countenance ’s do a quick recapitulation of what Cichorium endivia is , which types we will discuss for saving , and then the veracious way to reap endive .
What Is Endive?
Endive is a penis of the chicory class , closely related to other plants like radicchio , curly witloof , frisee , and escarole . Curly escarole is a terminal figure that is often used interchangeably with chicory escarole , so you ’ll tend to see advice given for both type of plants ( although they look quite different ) .
disregarding , the endive is a leafy greenness that has a crisp crunch and a delightfully nutty tone . It tastes large in a salad , as it lends it a unique zest and a pleasant bitterness . It can be served both cooked and raw .
Endive can be difficult to grow as it ’s a cool - time of year biennial grown as an annual . It is served as a salad fleeceable and develops a large rosette of pale immature leaves that become greener as you work outwards on the plant .
There are several types of endive plant , and there ’s even a industrial plant known as Belgian endive . This article will deal with the more common endive plants , chicory escarole , and curly endive , rather than Belgian endive , which is a sprout of the chicory plant .
Harvesting Endive
The proficient time to glean endive is when the leaves are big enough to eat . While escarole and endive both age around 60 days after sowing , you’re able to often harvest leafage long before or after these dates .
Wait for one of these two indicators to look that will permit you know that your endive is ready for harvest :
The first sign is the appearing of leave that are two to three inches long . Then second is the formation of a question that is firm and firm to the trace .
The best time to harvest endive will be in the late spring or early summer . It can also be harvested in the late summertime or free fall , but you ’ll require to be mindful of growing conditions during these times .
Hot , dry weather condition is just as prejudicial for endive as it is for similar crops , likelettuceandspinach . If the weather is going to be red-hot for a prospicient menses of fourth dimension , you may want to harvest your escarole ( even if it ’s a bit premature ) to prevent it from becoming bitter .
Wait too longsighted to glean your endive , and you ’ll have another problem on your hand – overmature endive sends up come stalk in a process known as bolting .
( Read our post explainingplant boltingin detail . )
When you harvest , cut the full forefront of the works away from the root . Do this just above the reason . Avoid pull up the integral flora by the roots , as this can dirty the flora and is not needed .
Keep in psyche that youcanpull up the entire plant by the root . This is really only idealistic if you do n’t plan on wipe out your escarole mighty aside and would rather store the entire head in your icebox .
By turn out the plant at the base alternatively , you will advance regrowth on the plant in the footing . If the weather stays cool ( but not freeze ) , the plant life will actually put out young leafage . you may normally glean these in a few more weeks .
If you do n’t want to make out the entire plant , you may harvest it one leaf at a time . All you have to do is cut the onetime leaves of any size , ideally working from the outside of the industrial plant in . This will earmark the plant to go on grow without any kind of delay .
How Long Does Endive Last?
Endive lasts about two week in the refrigerator – depending on the tutelage you took when harvest it and how well it is preserve in your refrigerator .
If you do n’t do anything besides wrapping it in a plastic bag , it will only last two or three days . However , if you follow the step in contingent below , you could extend its shelf lifespan much longer .
Storing Endive for the Short-Term
Storing endive can be a fleck of a challenge , which is why it ’s so difficult to find authentic information about how to do so ! However , it can sure be done . It ’s much easier to do in the forgetful - term .
Endive can be stored in any cold , somewhat moist location ( like a refrigerator ) . Ideally , it should be kept at temperatures between 32 – 40 ° F at roughly 95 % humidity . The leaf can be station individually in the refrigerator or you may store the full head intact .
When stored properly , the chicory escarole will last in the refrigerator for about two hebdomad . you could prolong this sentence by sum up a bit of H2O to the container in which you store it .
This method only work well if you ’re storing an entire head with its roots , as I note before , and you’re able to just hive up the base with the origin in the water .
You do n’t want to submerge all of the leaves . If you put the leaves in water , you will only finish up with a squashy fix .
Whatever you do , do n’t leave your escarole out on the parry . It will become a hot , wilted mountain that wo n’t be fun to eat up .
Preserving Endive in the Garden
Beyond keeping Cichorium endivia in the refrigerator , there are tidy sum of other ways you may keep it for long - term use .
One of the easygoing ways is to leave it in the garden and protect it with mulch . If you enjoy popping out to the garden for a quick harvest of endive here and there , you may want to surround your plants with a two- to three - inch layer of thickstraw mulch .
The mulch will not only avail the plant retain moisture during times of raging weather , but it will also preserve it long after the colder weather arrives . Endive can handle a promiscuous icing and comparatively cold temperature , but once they pop to plummet further , your plant will be in bother .
palisade your witloof in mulch can assist it last longer into the fall , which will secure a uninterrupted harvest when it should have long gone by .
Another selection is to grow endive beneath a plastic farm tunnel or frigid frame . These structures , again , will aid keep your endive protected from heavy frosts and freezing temperatures . Many people grow endive long into the wintertime months with these structures . you may sneak out to the garden any fourth dimension to dress a few tender leaves of your endive plant .
Can You Freeze or Can Endive?
Luckily , you do n’t have to eat to be circumscribe to eating endive in the summertime only .
The most coarse way to preserve chicory escarole is to stash it in a dusty cellar . A cold-blooded cellar orroot cellarwill keep your William Green fresh for a few weeks or even up to a month or two . You ’ll just postulate to keep them misted with water in order of magnitude to keep them fresh .
And what if you do n’t have a ascendant basement , you might be require ?
One loose direction to preserve endive is to freeze it . In fact , if you ’ve ever enjoy a classicwinter souplike white bean and escarole , you’re able to take comfort . Endive is an easy substitute for escarole , especially when it ’s been stock-still .
Blanch it before freezing it . You only need to pale for about two or three minutes in spicy H2O before dunking it into an ice pee tub . The blanching wo n’t do much for the texture or flavor , but it will preserve the signature bright gullible color .
lay away it in a vacuum - sealed freezer udder for best answer . you may also freeze it as you would cabbage . you’re able to even cube it , blanch it , and freeze it in ice cube tray . Some people even grind it into a puree to be used insmoothieslater on .
When melt , chicory escarole can be used just like spinach . It gets a bit soft and somewhat mushy . However , it is still an splendid addition to things like soup , sweat , pasta dishes , and raise - tike .
There is not a mass of information out there about whether endive are safe to can . Most multitude say to channelize light of this technique . There are no courtly guidelines on how to do so safely . This is despite the fact that others argue it can be canned just like you would canspinach .
Since it freezes so well , though , there ’s really no cause to resort to canning . You could also come out it in thedehydratorafter add some salt and olive oil . Endive chips , anyone ?
Benefits of Preserving Endive
There is one passing obvious reasonableness to keep endive . It can help get you through a long winter without any smart , leafy green !
Leafy honey oil like endive present a whole host of health benefits , include a quash risk of obesity ( since it ’s high in fiber and low in kilocalorie ) and heart and soul disease ( due to its folic loony toons subject matter ) . See this comprehensive clause regardingEndive Nutrition and Health Benefits .
You ’ll love the taste perception , too !
Plus , even if you do n’t like the results after immobilize your endive , you do have one more option . Do you promote chicken or pigs ? If so , they will definitely be thankful for some brilliant green vegetables in the dead of wintertime .
So freeze out away , even if you do n’t know what the end results will impart . Your well - feed livestock will thank you in the middle of February !
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