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Vissers Endive (OR)
Contact: Wim & Anja Visser
City: Silverton, OR, 97381
About Us
Vissers Endive, located in Silverton, OR, is known for its cultivation of endives in the Pacific Northwest. Wim and Anja moved to Oregon from the Netherlands in 2016 and brought with them 20 years of experience growing lovely Belgian endive.

A chicory family member, organic Belgian Endive, has a white and sunny-yellow torpedo-shaped, tightly wrapped head with a satisfying crunch and slightly bitter flavor. Originating in France and the Netherlands, Belgian Endive is gaining popularity in the US alongside radicchios and escarole. Delicious braised or eaten raw in salads, and its leaves are also perfect vehicles for scooping up dips as a healthy alternative to chips. Scientifically know as Cichorium intybus, Belgian Endive is a witloof (white leaf) chicory.




Practices
Vissers Endive is certified organic.

Farmers in the Pacific Northwest traditionally have not taken on the daunting task of growing Belgian Endive - cultivating it is far more complex than merely planting a seed. According to legend, it was discovered in the 1830s by a Belgian farmer who realized that chicory roots stored for coffee-making produced new, delicious shoots. By 1850, Monsieur Brezier of Brussels’ Botanical Gardens was refining the growing process using a warm, humid, and dark environment.

Belgian endive is remarkably grown twice over two seasons - once in the fields to form leaves (that are removed) for the root, and again the root planted in sawdust to force a “chicon” (the compact, dense heads of pale-yellow leaves) from the root. The seeds are direct sowed in May and June of the first year then around November the tops are mowed and the roots harvested and stored in a warm, dark environment (called “forcing”). It is harvested the following spring for a tender, sweet delight. The absence of light gives Belgian endive its distinctive pale color and sweet flavor, called “blanching”.