How to Cultivate Millions of Golden Vegetable Buds in Dark Room - Belgian Endive Farming and Harvest

Among the numerous vegetables grown by farmers, there is none quite like Belgian endive. Also known as witloof – which means “white leaf” in Dutch – Belgian endives are a long season crop that requires a winter, indoor “forcing” phase to produce tightly-wrapped, almond-shaped, cream colored heads. The process has several steps, but in the end is delectable harvest of pale, crunchy, nutty, delicately bitter-tasting fresh greens in the winter months. Growing Belgian endive is a two main step process that straddles the seasons. The first step, which begins in the spring, is to cultivate Belgian endive in the field for the tubers. The second step, which takes place in the late fall and winter, is to cultivate the heads, called chicons, indoors under moist, dark conditions. Credit: Nature’s Gold Lekker Oost-Vlaams allerhande Les Producteurs d’Endives