Catalogna
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Catalogna Emerald Endive is a fast-growing heirloom annual that delivers an unexpected treat: tender spring stalks with an asparagus-like flavor. Sown in summer for a spring harvest, this deep-cut Italian chicory produces long, dandelion-like leaves that are equally prized as early greens. Ready in 50 to 59 days, it's a rapid grower that thrives in full sun and rewards patient gardeners with both leafy harvests and delicate flowering stalks that taste nothing like typical bitter chicory.
Full Sun
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?in H x ?in W
Biennial, Perennial
Moderate
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The magic here lies in its dual purpose: you can harvest tender leaves early in the season, then allow the plant to bolt and produce those asparagus-like stalks in spring. Unlike many endives that prioritize bitterness, Catalogna Emerald offers a gentler, more delicate flavor profile when you time your harvest right. The deep-cut, dandelion-like foliage is visually striking in the garden, and with approximately 11,200 seeds per ounce, even a small seed packet goes surprisingly far.
Young leaves are harvested as tender spring greens, either raw in salads or lightly cooked. The real prize, though, arrives later: the emerging flowering stalks taste remarkably like asparagus and can be blanched, steamed, or briefly sautéed. Some gardeners also harvest the seed stalks themselves as a delicacy. The leaves work beautifully in Mediterranean preparations where chicory's slight bitterness is balanced with rich oils and bright citrus.
Direct sow seeds in summer, typically June through August depending on your region. Press seeds into moist soil and keep consistently watered until germination. Seeds are tiny, so scatter them thinly and thin seedlings to avoid overcrowding.
Harvest tender young leaves when they reach 4-6 inches, beginning just 50-59 days after sowing, or allow the plant to overwinter and produce those prized spring stalks. For stalk harvest, wait until they emerge from the center of the plant in early spring and are still tender and pale, before they toughen with age. Cut stalks at the base with a sharp knife. The plant will continue producing side shoots if you harvest selectively rather than stripping it bare.
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“Catalogna Emerald Endive carries the mark of Italian heirloom vegetable tradition, with roots in the Catalogna (Catalonia) region. The variety has been preserved through generations as a staple of Mediterranean spring gardens, where gardeners learned to exploit its unique dual-harvest potential: young leaves in late winter and asparagus-like stalks as temperatures warm. Its survival as a named heirloom speaks to how deeply embedded it became in regional food culture and seed-saving networks, passed hand to hand among gardeners who understood its particular quirks and rewards.”