Planted "Weeds" in My Yard

[vicker]

A couple years ago, I had a bad place in my yard (pasture) that had very littel top soil. I wanted to plant a ground cover on it and start building it up. I disked it up and went to get (it was early summer) some buckwheat to sow on it. I got the buckwheat, but Southern Stated also had some chickory (its a good wild game feed). I bought a pound for someting like $30. I sowed the buckwheat and then I disked it. While I was disking I through some of the chickory seeds over my shoulder. Well that first year they came up a little. Last year they came up even bertter and we had some chickory in our salads and cooked as greens.
I just went out and picked a bunch to cook tonight. They look like they are coming along right nicely. And, they make really pretty flowers too. Oh, and the chickens LOVE them.

[orangehen]

Chicory? The stuff that grows along the road with the pretty little blue flowers? That (I've read) the roots can be roasted and ground to use with/for coffee? I didn't know you could cook them! Aren't they pretty thin-stemmed/leaved? Let me know how you cooked them, and how they tasted.

[LostnEurope]

Chicory is commonly used as a salad here in Europe..It can be bitter if it gets too large,,But, young chicory makes great additions to a salad especially if you have a good sweet type of lettuce to mix with it and I understand it is pretty easy to grow.....Mike

[vicker]

We eat it in salads when it is tender young, and cook it as it gets older. I put some om the pizzas I made last night.

[uncle Will in In.]

It grows right at the edge of the pavement along many county roads here. It seems to spread farther down some of the roads each year. It has pretty blue blossoms. About the time it gets to blomming really nice, the county decides it's time to mow the roadside.

[Junkmanme]

That darned stuff "choked-out" my asparagus patch!

[GoatsRus]

My dad grew up in France and they always used Chicory in their coffee. He used to grow it on our farm for that purpose.