The "Mechelse Middelvroeg" Belgian endive is a variety that will supply you with plenty of shapely and tasty heads. This chicory relative is forced from the roots harvested in autumn. The oblong, cob-shaped heads are white-yellow and consists of firm, crunchy leaves. Their taste is slightly bitter. This leaf vegetable is valued for its high nutritional value, especially useful in winter. Belgian endives are usually consumed raw as addition to sandwiches or as a salad ingredient. They can be used for preparation of delicious, original snacks and dish garnishing. They contain a glycoside called lactucopicrin (intybin) that is known as an appetite stimulant and regulates digestive processes.

Belgian endive is a biennial plant. From the seeds sown in the first year grow dense leaf rosettes. A large conical tap root grows underground. It is then used to grow heads in forced cultures. The sow takes place end of May and at the beginning of June, in shallow grooves 30-40 cm apart. The vegetable presented here requires humus, well-drained soil. Watering is necessary at the germination stage. It is also advisable to weed and loose the soil and fertilize it with multi-component mineral fertilizer.

Roots for forcing are harvested from September to the late autumn months. After the harvest they are stored in basements and dugouts so that they are not exposed to frost, nor high humidity. They lie flat in the sand until they are used. In order to grow heads, the roots are placed vertically in the ground at a place where a temperature between 10-25ºC can be maintained and that is completely dark. You can also cover the seedlings with foil or non-woven fabric, leaving just enough space for them to germinate. The soil must be constantly moist. The whole process takes about 4 weeks. The oblong heads are cut just above the ground with a thin layer of root so that the leaves do not fall off.

One package contains 0.2 g of the "Mechelse Middelvroeg" Belgian endive seeds. Detailed growing instructions and the sow-by date were printed on the package.

• Weight: 0.2 g
• Use: direct consumption
• Harvest time: Roots - autumn; heads - all year long from forced cultures
• Growth form: oblong, cob-shaped heads
• Vegetation form: biennial
• Foliage: Yellow-white leaves
• Site: humous, well-drained, weeded, loosened soil