chicory fennel

8/7/2019 Chicory Fennel

1/4

Chicory

hicory, a less cornrnon salad vege-ble.

Chicory (Chicorunz entybus ) islosely related to lettuce andndive. The variety used for forc-ng is Whitloof de Belgique. It isrown in much the same way ascarrot and when the root is well

eveloped it is lifted and the toput back and the root covered toorm a small " chicon " which issmall, solid white blanched head

ike the heart of a small cos lettuce.t is much sought after in Europes a salad vegetable. Whitloof canlso be grown without forcing bylanching the heads in the row.

oil requirements and fertiliserChicory differs in soil requirementso lettuce and chicory as the prime

objective is to produce a sturdyoot for forcing. The soil in the

bed should be at least 200 mmdeep and not be too heavy. Adeep loam is prcferab!e. Theighter the soil the better the shapeand the texture of the root. Asresh animal manure can causeorking and other malformations

of the root, a bed which was

heavily manured for the previouscrop should be chosen. The rateof fertiliser applied will depend onprevious treatment.

Where the bed has receivedanimal manure or compost for theprevious crop, 75 g of completefcrtiliser NPK 3 : 6 : 7 or from125 to 150 g where no animal

fertiliser has been used. Excessnitrogen fertiliser produces softroots, which are prone to rot whenbeing forced to produce chicons.Sowing and thinningChicory is best sown direct in mid-spring and thinned to requiredspacings. Transplanted root cropsare often a failure. The sowingoperation is identical to that oflettuce and endive. However

spacing in the row is closer thanfor letture or endive. When theplants are 50 mm tall, thin to100 to 150 mm between plants.

Growing the cropThe chicory is allowed to grow onsteadily until autumn when asturdy root about 200 mm longhas been produced. The root isthen carefully removed from thesoil with a fork to avoid mechan-

ical damage and breakdown of theroot at the final stage of chiconproduction.

ForcingIn order to produce the chiconsthe roots are placed in soil or sandthat is free of compost or manure.

The roots are prepared by cut-ting 05 the tap root at the base ofthe enlarged root and removingall but 50 mm of the foliage above

the crown.The next requirement is a site

for forcing. Low spots or areaswhere drainage water runs throughare unsuitable. The trench about150 mm deep is dug. Loosen thesoil for a further 75 mm deep.The size of the pit will depend onthe number of roots to be forced.However large or small, the prin-cipal rcmains the same. Roots areplaced in the trench in rows about25 mm apart with 15 mm between

roots. Work soil down betweenthe roots and water, taking carenot to saturate the area. Nowcover the roots with a 250 mmdeep layer of fine dry soil (sandyfor preference). Cover the pit tokeep out overhead water but leavethe sides open.

Harvesting

The chicons will develop and beready to harvest in two to threemonths when they have nearlyreached the top of the casing soil.Carefully remove the soil fromaround the chicon and root andremove it from the pit. Screwthe head off the root and removedirty and discolored leaves. Thechicon is now ready to be pre-pared for the salad bowl. Th e

root is now spent and is discarded,Whitloof may also be grown asa salad vegetable without produc-ing chicons. It is grown in then a n n e r already described and isthinned to about 200 mm in therow and is allowed to develop toa head which is loose and spread-ing. At this stage its texture iscoarse and it is bitter to the tasteunless it is blanched. Blanchingis achieved by covering plants with

a suitably sized earthen flower potfor two to four weeks or plantsmay be covered with a thick layerof straw to exclude light. Plantsare covered progressively accord-ing to the number required over aperiod of time.


2/4

Cucumbers andgherkinsCucumbers (Cucumis sativus)are useful for summer salads andare easy to grow in the homegarden, although like other cucur-bits they require a relativelylarge amount of room. Plantscan be spaced a metre apart.

Gherkins are immature cucum-bers which are usually pickled.

Cucumbers and gherkins havethe same cultural requirements aspumpkins, see page 104. Popularcucumber varieties include Ash-ley, Palmetto, Marketer, Palo-mer, Polaris, Long Green, Early

Fortune and Marketmore. Theyare all dark green and rangefrom 150 to 250 mm in length.Crystal Apple is an apple shapedvariety which is a heavy yielder.

Gherkins which are grown forpickling include Heinz Pickling,Ohio 17, Super Pickle and EarlyFortune.

Cucumbers and gherkins shouldbe harvested well before fullmaturity. To keep them produc-ing and to maintain a dark greencolor, they must be picked fre-quently. Leave the stem attachedto the fruit and be sure that anyover-mature or yellow fruits areremoved from the plant.

Cucumbers are easy to grow in the home garden.

86

Egg plantThe egg plant (Solanum melon-gena) or aubergine thrives undervery warm conditions and mostcommercial crops in Victoria aregrown in the north of the state.It is extremely sensitive to frost.Long periods of cold weather

cause big reductions in yield.In general, culture is similar

to tomatoes. Plants can be raisedin sheltered seed beds for earlytransplanting in October. The eggplant can also be seeded directlyin the garden in the warmer north-ern districts sowing groups ofthree of four seeds at each stakeand later thinning.

Soil requirements and plantingChoose a deep friable loam withgood drainage, and cultivatedeeply before transplanting inOctober. Apply a liberal dressingof animal manure before planting,along with NPK 3 : 6 : 7 com-plete fertiliser mixture at the rateof 100 to 150 g per square metre.Do not transplant until the

Egg plant can be served in many- - .ways.

A popular method is tocut the fruit into thin slices and,after salting to taste, frying inbatter and serving with bacon.The flavor is not unlike fried egg,hence the name.

Egg plant can also be boiled,roasted or baked in the same wayas pumpkin or squash and servedalong with other vegetables. Eggplant, stuffed with meat andseasoning is well worth trying.

The egg plant does not trans-plant easily and should be prickedout at the two leaf stage into asoil block or tube. Alternatively,the seeds can be sown in peator paper pots and transplantedwith a minimum disturbance ofthe roots.

Seeds should be dusted withthiram, as seedlings are very sus-ceptible to damping off. Seedlingsshould also be sprayed with zinebor maneb to control this disease.

danger of frost has passed. Setthe plants in rows one metre


3/4

h e egl:plar~rgrc l~vs,cell it2 1va1.112corlditio~is,arld is e r t r c ~ r l z ~ l ys e ~ i c i t ~ v eto frost.part and about 600 mm betweenlants.

Avoid over-watering when thelants are small, and graduallyncrease the amount of water ap-

lied as the plants begin to setuit. Any check in growth willreatly reduce yields. Side-dresshe plants with a nitrogen fer-

and mulch with fowlmanure after the fruit has set.

Pinch out the central growingoint when the seedling is 150

mm high and tie the $ant to aake. Plants grow 600 mm to50 mm hi&. The number of

should be restricted to aboutx per plant to maintain fruitze.Aphids and caterpillars attack

the plants. Spray every 10 to 14days with carbaryl or maldison.Thinning and tying will reducesoft rots caused by fruit touchingthe damp soil. Copper fungicidesapplied to the manufacturersdirections, will also keep rots in

check.

Hawesting

Fruits are ready to pick about90 days after transplanting. Theyshould be full colored, but notover- mature. Over mature fruitshave slightly shrivelled skin. Theflesh becomes tough and the seedsbegin to harden. Cut the fruitfrom the bush with a sharp knife.The stems are extremely tough.Sound fruit will keep in coolconditions for three or four weeksafter being picked.

FennelFlorence fennel or finnochio isa variety of common fennel(Foenicubrrn vulgare), which isknown as aniseed-a noxiousweed found in many parts of

Victoria.The Florence or sweet fennel

is typified by the much thickenedcrowded bases of the leaf stalks.The thickened leaves from abulb-like mass above ground levelis the edible portion. It is har-vested from April throughOctober.

Soil preparationLoams or sandy loams are wellsuited to the production ofFlorence fennel. The land shouldbe worked deeply and to a goodtilth similar to a seedbed forcarrots or parsnips. Drainagemust be good because Florencefennel is prone to waterlogging.

Fennel grows well under a widerange of soil reactions and is tol-erant of strong acid reactions ofpH5 through to those which arealkaline. Reactions of pH6 top H 6 - 5 as for carrots and lettuceare ideal.

Manures and fertilisersFennel thrives on applications ofpoultry manure and can receivea dressing of a bag to 20 to25 square metres of bed. Fowlmanure-deep litter-from layerpens or from intense broiler pro-duction which is a rich brownthroughout is suitable. Half the

amount is used if manure is ob-tained from layer cages. Dig inwith the base dressing.

A base fertiliser of NPK5 : 8 : 4 complete fertiliser or itsequivalent in more concentratedform, at the rate of 100 t o 150 gper square metre is applied acouple of weeks before sowing orplanting and raked into the top50 mm of the bed prior to sowing

or planting.Side dressings of nitrogen andpotassium may be necessary e s p ecially in light soils if heavy rain


4/4

eaches the soluble nutrients anduring winter apply 15 to 30 gf NPK 20 : 0 : 16 fertiliser tohe metre' of row as required. Theeed is generally sown directlynd left in situ for the life ofhe vegetable but it is possibleo transplant them. Direct sow-n g ~are preferred as the plant

hen does not suffer a transplant-ng check. Transplants from theast few direct drilled crops areseful for producing the late crop.

eedingeed should be sown at the ratef one gram to 15 metres of drillow. Rows should be 300 mmpart. Thin seedlings to 150 mmr alternatively transplant seed-ings at this distance.Sowings are made from Januarynwards. Late January and

February are likely to be themost successful particularly inheltered, sunny, and well drainedreas. Summer sowings maturen 14 weeks, later crops take upo 20 weeks. Autumn plantingshould not be made after the endf March. Late maturing cropsre usually transplanted.

Pests and diseasesAphids are the only pest whichs known to attack fennel. Maldi-on or dimethoate sprays will con-rol this pest, they should not bepplied within seven days of har-esting. There are no diseases

which affect this crop in Victoriand no fungicide spray programs necessary.

BlanchingWell grown fennel has a largeanopy of fern-like leaves which

makes it unnecessary to blanchhe vegetable. Where the crops sparse or the canopy thin, earth

may be hilled up around the bulb-ike growth to effect blanching ofhe outer leaf stalks.

Maturity

The vegetable may be eaten atany stage of growth when reasoa-able size has developed but care

88

Fetrtzel-the tl~lcXerlrn'hulh-llhe ~ n n s rabovc tlzr grurozci l c r ~ ~ lI S tile edible portionmust be exercised. as in the case and mixed into salads. It has

of its relative celery, to ensurethat the thickened stems do notbecome over-mature. The edibleportion of both vegetables whenover-mature become stringy andare unpalatable.

Common fepnelThe common fennel, a noxiousweed, is used for flavoring andculinary purposes by people who

prefer strong flavors.The main use made of this

weed is of the seed or moreproperly the fruit of fennel, whichis usually ground up and usedas a flavoring lor salami andother exotic sausages. The seedis also used as flavoring for bread,pastry, confectionery, liqueurs,and in medicine.

Culinary uses of Florence fennelThe white, bulbous portion ischopped into thin small portions

a sweet and palatable slight aniseed flavour and adds piquancy tothe salad.

It may be boiled in salt watefor about 10 minutes or untisoft but not mushy and servedeither hot or cold with a dashof oil and vinegar or with saladdressing. It may also be friedin butter or oil until soft and

used as a hot vegetable. It haa pleasant aniseed flavor which

is neither strong nor rank. It mayalso be used to flavor soups orused in stews.

The young green portions ofthe leaves may be finely choppedand used sparingly as a garnishIt is especially useful in flavoringsoups made with vegetable protein, such as pea, lentil or mine

strone soups. It may be usedeither fresh or dried for this

purpose.

chicory fennel

Documents