Chicory! Coffee Replacement, Health Tonic, Beauty, Pollinator Food, and more. An AMAZING herb.
Common chicory, or Cichorium intybus, is one of our favorite herbs to grow here at Kindred Acres. I LOVE to roast the root as a coffee substitute. It has a rich, roasted chocolatey flavor and makes an excellent sub for those trying to kick the coffee or caffeine. It is naturally caffeine-free.
Apart from that, the plant is so pretty when it blooms! It attracts all sorts of pollinators and adds a nice pop of color to the garden. The leaves are edible, and although very bitter when mature, they are very high in nutritional value. A little goes a long way so just add a small amount to a mixed salad. You could also choose to harvest the chicory leaves when young as they are less bitter.
Chicory root is also very healthful! It is really great for the heart, lowing cholesterol and blood pressure, healing digestive issues, helping with weight management, detoxing the body, reducing inflammation in the body, and it is loaded with antioxidants. It's great for the kidneys, boosts the immune system, and eases arthritis. It's totally worth the space in the garden. Good for me AND packed full of deliciousness?? I'm sold! ;) But don't take my word for it.....research for yourself and you'll see how amazing this herb is.
If you decide to grow it, it is best to wait until it's second year to start harvesting bits of the roots. This will allow the plant to fully develop. Common chicory is a biennial herb that thrives in zones 3-9. You often see it growing wild on the side of backcountry roads. You sometimes see it in wild prairie seed mixes. It's super easy to grow and requires minimal if any care at all. We just plant it and leave it all year. We never water it, no pests have destroyed it, we just go out and enjoy it and harvest what we want. It does self-seed pretty easily so if you want it contained then consider it will drop its seeds very quickly.
Tonight, here at Kindred Acres, we are separating seeds for planting and for listing on our Etsy shop. If you are in need of seeds, check back with us as we will have them listed soon!! Come mid to late fall we will harvest parts of the root for roasting. I always get very excited for that time. :)
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Kindred Acres
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I love chicory as a pretty plant. Coffee and I never got along, so that's one addiction I never had to deal with. But my husband has his 1 cup every morning. So I grow chicory in case he ever wants to kick that habit.
I am going through ANOTHER coffee detox (why do I get addicted again and again lol) - which means I have to try lots of different substitutes. Didn't think of chicory!! Thanks for the reminder!
I know a thing or 7 million about addiction and recommend a tapering or titration plan. For coffee it's easy to do with blended chicory and coffee which is basically every Indian coffee mix available. Of course doing it yourself is best but most blends are 75/25 coffee to chicory. Originally a coffee crisis forced this blend on the world but it's quite delicious... Sips afternoon Indian coffee..
Thank you for the advice. I agree that I have seen a blend of coffee and chicory. I went from never drinking coffee (only herbal teas and water), to drinking a little coffee, then to sometimes 2 cups a day. I wanted to stop the coffee kick so I went to chicory and I did full on chicory with no coffee mixed in and I had absolutely no issues. But for me, I wasn't drinking coffee for the cafeine. It was the flavor, smell, comfort, etc. Chicory was such an easy transition for me that I had no problem with kicking coffee and didn't need to blend it but from time to time, when I need a little extra boost, I have no problem with adding a scoop of coffee grounds in with the roasted chicory when I make my morning delight. It honestly has a roasted chocolately coffee flavor to it so it was such an easy transition.
I totally get it!! Coffee is terribly addicting. I was drinking 2 cups a day easy. Now, I only drink one cup a month. The chicory is so delicious and it gives that comfort in a cup you expect from your morning coffee. You should totally think about growing it.
You've been visited by @porters from Homesteaders Co-op. That's the kind of plant I like, easy to grow, very beneficial, beautiful and delicious too! Have you ever considered opening a Homesteaders Co-op store where you can offer your goods for STEEM, SBD, BTC, ETH and USD? You have such an abundance of things happening on your homestead! Thanks for sharing about your chicory with us! ---
A community marketplace of ethical, handmade and sustainable products available for STEEM, SBD (and USD): https://homesteaderscoop.com follow: @homesteaderscoop
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