Blanching Endive

endive
If your Endive is nearly ready, like mine, then it’s time to blanch some of the leaves so that they don’t taste too bitter. There are various ways to do this. Some people advocate using a plate. This is where you place a place on top of the Endive to block out the light. This works if you’re growing in your own garden however it might not be very helpful for allotment owners – if the wind doesn’t whip away your Vera Wangs then someone will. I’ve opted for the ‘tie it up nice and tight with a bit of old string’ approach. This works fine. You should have some sweet, blanched leaves in around a week. However, remember that Endive is not the type of leaf that you would make a whole salad out of – mix it with something that tastes a little milder.

Category: Advice, Vegetables     Tagged:

11 Comments on “Blanching Endive”

  1. I’ve never grown endive … how lovely to have it in the garden. Was it easy?

    The classic French salad is best, I think … endive, mostly the blanched bits from the middle, with fried lardons of bacon and croutons, dressed with a very mustardy vinaigrette. Delicious – really something to look forward to.

    Joanna
    joannasfood.blogspot.com

  2. I have tried growing endive and chicory for winter salads, but the slugs always get to them. Do you find that slugs get into yours?

  3. Yeah, endive. Every salad I’ve ever eaten that contained endive, it seemed to me would taste even better if you left the endive out. I think I just don’t do bitter very well.

  4. Endive is an acquired taste, for sure!
    In answer to your question about the slugs Matron, I found that they left my Endive alone (but totally munched on everything else). I supposed this was because of the bitterness but maybe not. Maybe, they took pity on me and left at least one variety of lettuce still standing. I like to think so!

  5. Yours was the first gardening blog I visited, and you’ve turned me on to a lot of good reading, by perusing your archives; then I wandered on further into the world of gardening blogs. Great for vicarious “plotting”!
    Love the pictures.
    Best wishes.

  6. I like the photos of your garden. You do a fine job. I thought you might like seeing pictures of my garden I have posted on my blog. I also have pictures of things that happen around my dairy farm here in southern Missouri, (cows, calves, tractors, grandkids and so forth.
    Cheerily
    IJK

  7. Endive is such an attractive leaf on the plate. Perhaps I shall find a home for it on my new allotment next year.

  8. You didn’t mention your sweetcorn again since a few weeks ago. Did you get a good harvest this year? Mine was a total waste of space…. I had approx 20 plants and got 2 eatable cobs off them.

  9. Hi Simon,

    I managed to eat one cob from the sweetcorns. Half of it wasn’t germinated though
    (ie the corn wasn’t yellow but half white) so I had to make sure to avoid the white ones. But at least I got one!

  10. Hi mpt!
    Your endive from 5 Oct. 2007 looks wonderful. Do you happen to remember the variety? It looks similar to the endive I sometimes see in the grocery store, which grandma loves and wants to grow this year, but I am not certain which variety, possibly Salad King? Thanks, mommyof4