Endive

If you grow your own endives, you will have a healthy, organic source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Escarole is another name for endive with broad leaves. Endive with curly leaves is sometimes called chicory.

Endive seeds should be sown, in rich soil, in June, July or August, depending on the variety.

In general, varieties that grow better should be planted later.

Endives that are planted in August may have to endure harsh weather, so try to plant them on a raised seedbed so that the soil can drain if it becomes wet.

Before sowing, you should beat the soil surface with a spade to make it firm.

You should water the seedbeds before you sow the seeds if the soil isn't very moist already.

If you are planting endives in August, water the holes in which you are going to place the seeds.

When planting one of the less hardy varieties, sow seeds so that they are 1 foot apart. Sow seeds 15 inches apart of you are planting one of the stronger varieties.

In order for endives to be edible, they must be blanched.

When you blanch a vegetable, you cover it up so that it is not exposed to sunlight.

Blanching a vegetable causes it to produce less chlorophyll, which makes it taste less bitter.

To blanch endives, gather the leaves on a dry day and tie the leaves together with raffia.

Then cover them with boards, litter or anything else that will keep the sun off them.

In the summer, you will need to blanch endives for about 10 days, but in the winter, it will take longer to blanch your endives - up to 3 weeks.

If you get endives wet while they are covered, they will start to decay, so in wet weather you should store endives in cold frames.

On a dry day, tie up the endives, lift them up by their roots along with a ball of soil, and then plant them in frames, in moist soil.

Then untie them and blanch them by covering them with hay.

Covering the frames with mats will help keep out frost.