Urban Foraging

Our neighborhood has many empty lots and unkempt, vacant properties. While this is mostly unsightly, it does provide my family a glimpse of a more natural environment. Many lots are full of clover, chicory and other flowering weeds. There are even a few thistle plants left to flower.

On one of our walks this summer, we started talking about chicory and how beautiful the flowers are. I vaguely remembered that chicory was used as a coffee substitute, but in talking about this with my daughter, I realized I wasn't sure what part of the plant was used for brewing nor how it was processed.

A quick internet search yielded the information we needed. We now knew we had to harvest the roots, dry them and roast them.

The experiment turned into a family affair, with my two daughters and Michael heading out, trowels in hand, to dig up some chicory roots in the yard of an abandoned house.

Digging the roots.


Scrubbing off the dirt.

Chopping the roots.
Grinding them.
Roasted chicory.
Yesterday, we finally decided to brew up some chicory and give it a try. Now, chicory was most often used as an additive to coffee to make the coffee last longer, but we decided we wanted the most realistic chicory experience possible. Besides, the thought of contaminating, er, extending our Sumatran Dark Roast with an unknown entity was too frightening.

The recipe seemed awfully weak, two teaspoons of the roasted chicory to four cups boiling water.

It was.

The flavor was extremely week and almost tasteless, but this was made up for by its musty, wet-horse aroma.

I'd have to be pretty desperate to resort to chicory, even if there was no coffee available. I'm pretty sure, after this experience, we all would make the switch to herbal tea!