When you make a purchase from Seed Savers Exchange, you help fulfill our nonprofit mission to protect our food and garden heritage. Do even more good by making a donation to help us preserve and share even more heirloom varieties!
Pink Star Endive (Organic)
An escarole-type endive, this versatile variety stands out in Italian cuisine and can be served either cooked or freshly picked. Round plants grow 5-8"" tall and 12-15"" wide and have thick, green to yellow-green leaves that are tightly folded with a toothed margin and taste sweet (not bitter). A variety bearing this name has been shared through the Yearbook Exchange community for decades; this variety was acquired by Seed Savers Exchange in 1989 from Nichols Garden Nursery of Oregon.
- Organic
- Quick growing
- Escarole-type
- Sweet flavor
- Can be served cooked or freshly picked
This variety works for:
- Fresh eating
- Wilting
- Soups
Try adding chopped curly endive to a citrus salad or toss a handful into a bean soup in the final stages of cooking.
Lightly braised endive can even be added to dishes of mashed root vegetables.
Instructions - Sow seeds indoors ¼” deep. Plant out when a light frost is still possible. Can also be directly sown outdoors as soon as soil can be worked in spring. Plant closer together or cover centers for well blanched, tender stems.
- Start Indoors: 5-6 weeks before last frost
- Light: Full Sun
- Germination: 5-7 Days
- Plant Outdoors: 6-8” Apart
