Common chicory is a woody, aromatic perennial herb, commonly with blue flowers, and usually without white or pink flowers. It is an excellent and attractive plant for herb gardening, whether used for culinary (including pickling, sauteing, salting, or bread making) or medicinal purposes. Many common varieties are cultivated both for the beauty of their flowers and for the flavor of their flesh.

This beautiful, evergreen perennial is best known for its blue-purple flowers. Common chicory is an annual, with a first year growth that ranges from six to nine inches. The flowers are of a trumpet shaped group, ranging in color from white to deep blue. The bushy leaves are alternate and short, with the terminal blooms are bright red. The flesh of this flower is very sweet, with the cinara (the blooming flower) having a strong citrus odor.

Growing this herb is simple enough, as it will grow with any kind of soil, whether well-drained or full of nutrients. Herb gardeners choose common chicory as their favorite because of the easy growing conditions it provides. The average spacing between each growing cress plant is only one to two feet. The tender roots of common chicory provide plenty of room for flourishing, turning, and rotation.

The plant is susceptible to cold, frost, drought, and disease; so, to encourage healthy growth, it needs a lot of water, especially when it first starts to grow. If you live in a dry climate, refrain from planting common chicory in your yard. If your plant has established roots, keep the soil moist, but not wet. This will encourage root growth and make the plant less susceptible to diseases. Common chicory is not a true weed, so it is quite easy to control.

Unlike other chrysanthemums, cress does not have a green thumb, or habit of growing up. It grows up to two feet tall, with dark green roots and a large number of leaves. Some varieties of common chicory, called wild cress, have grayish roots and have bushy leaves. Wild cress is the most difficult to grow, requiring an extra amount of attention.

If you want to try something different, look at a dandelion. Dandelions have tiny white blooms on a long stem. Dandelion leaves can be leased and used in a salad or mixed with milk for a tasty treat. In order to harvest the leaves from a mature plant, cut the stem above the leaflet and use a knife to separate the leaves from the stems.

Remove any brown or yellowish stems that may be sticking out on the ground. Thoroughly wash the leaves and stems and rinse them under water. Dry them on a screen or in the sunlight. You can use a salad spinner to dry individual stems or allow them to fall off a stem. Any leftover flowers can be picked off and eaten.

In addition to cooking, common chicory is an interesting ornamental plant. You can make stemware with its dried flowers. Chicory rootstock will float in water when planted in your flowerbed. Other than that, you can simply admire this versatile perennial as a decorative member of your landscape. Now you know about the culinary uses and other interesting facts about common chicory.

Common chicory is an herb that can be used both internally and externally. You can make a delicious but inexpensive salad by substituting croutons for its greens. Using a thin layer of sliced chicory roots in a vinaigrette makes an attractive contrast against the bright purple blossoms of lettuce. Place a combination of pea and beans in a pressure cooker. Place the chives in a zip lock bag and add a small handful of chopped peas.

In Mexico, chefs often use bitter melon as a dressing. Although bitter melon has a strong taste, it is rarely eaten on its own. Because it is bitter in taste, it can easily be combined with other herbs to make a flavorful dressing.

Common chicory is a useful herb for growing in your garden. It grows quite fast and produces seeds every two years. It is not uncommon to find coffee substitute being used instead of chicory in coffee substitutes. However, the coffee substitute does not have the robust taste of the real plant. If you are not growing coffee, it is likely you will grow this herb as a coffee substitute instead.