Chicory 'Witloof' Seeds *coffee substitute*

An unusual perennial vegetable from the dandelion family, with leafy green foliage and a long tap root. Wittloof leaves can be cooked or eaten raw. This vegetable has  a delicate flavour, with slightly bitter and sweet undertones. The roots can be dried and roasted as a coffee substitute or replanted and the new shoots blanched to produce witloof. Outer leaves are green, inner leaves are pale.

Also known as 'Chicory Root Plant' and 'Belgium Endive'.

What's commonly known as Belgian or French endive is actually called Witloof chicory (Cichorium intybus). Witloof chicory is grown from the roots of a variety of chicory. The leaves are pale in color as the plant is forced or grown in darkness. The chicory roots are made into a coffee substitute.

Witloof needs to be grown in two stages to produce pale  heads.
Step 1: Grow like usual chicory plants, cut off leaf growth and harvest root.
Step 2: Re-plant the root and grow in dark, either by covering your plants or by growing indoors.
Alternatively Chicory Witloof can be grown like regular chicory, however it will have an open habit with green leaves.