Radicchio Red Chicory

• Type: perennial vegetable, treated as an annual
• Planting time: after last frost in spring or in mid to late summer for fall crop
• Features: colorful leaves with pungent, peppery flavor
• Height: 6 to 8 inches
• Light: full sun with light afternoon shade in summer
• Soil: fertile, well-drained
• Spacing: 8 to 10 inches
• Garden use: kitchen gardens, vegetable gardens, herb gardens, containers
• Culinary use: salads, veggie side dish, grilling, pasta or meat accompaniment

Radicchio adds color to garden and dinner table with its white-ribbed, wine-red leaves. This frost-tolerant vegetable is an Old World chicory that grows much like cabbage. Heads are small, reaching a size between an orange and a grapefruit. Leaves boast a tangy taste that's been described as bitter, pungent, or peppery. The flavor sweetens when cool weather arrives—and also when leaves are properly prepared in the kitchen. In Italy, radicchio is a staple part of mealtime menus, starring in a main dish or accompanying role. Americans tend to use this colorful chicory as a salad garnish due to the leaves' bitter flavor. Serving with salt counteracts the bitterness and makes the radicchio's high sugar content stand out.