forcing rossa di treviso chicory

[bigpepperplant]

I sowed some rossa di treviso for the first time this year in a pot, rather late in the season I think (september). They plants are now a couple of inches tall. I ate some of the thinnings and found them really bitter so would be keen to try forcing them. I've been looking in books but find all the advice about the different sorts of chicory a bit confusing.

I'm planning to wait a month and then cut them to an inch above soil level, cover them with compost and put a bucket over the top. Does this sound like a good idea?

[alan refail]

Rossa di Treviso is a good chicory to use for forcing. However, to get good chicons you need to sow much earlier to have good strong roots to lift and force in November - see HERE

Your plants will grow only slowly from now on. If you find them too bitter, I would suggest you leave them to grow to a good 6 inches, then cover individual plants with a large lightproof pot or bucket; they will soon blanch to a light pink. I would not cover with compost. But, having said that, I must admit I do not blanch mine as we enjoy the sharp bitterness of Treviso in spring.

[bigpepperplant]

thanks for the speedy response. I'll try covering them with a light-excluding pot when they're about 6 inches tall and see what the leaves taste like then. Either that or I need to develop a taste for bitter leaves. Do you just eat the unforced Treviso leaves in salads? Any special salad dressing?

[alan refail]

We just eat the smaller middle leaves in spring, mixed in salad with other chicories/endives and milder leaves like winter lettuce, claytonia, lamb's lettuce etc. Dressing is just our usual olive oil and vinegar.

[Johnboy]

Hi Bigpepperplant,
With Rossa di Treviso you will not get the normal tight Chicons (you need to grow other varieties) but what you will get is a selection of individual blanched leaves. These are of a wonderful taste and I can thoroughly recommend them to you. They are certainly worth persevering with.
JB.