Hello and welcome to my Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) BLOG! My name is Caleb Poppe and I am a junior at Evergreen State College. Through collaborations with the National Organic Vegetable Improvement Coalition (NOVIC), I have been tasked with growing 9 different varieties of radicchio, a striking and bitter, leafy-head vegetable in the Chicory plant family. These long-lived plants can take anywhere from 65 to 145 days to reach full maturity and are a popular cold-weather crop that can be planted in early spring or in early to mid fall.

In the midst of a cultural shift towards an appreciation and exploration of new, strong and bitter foods, many plants in the chicory family have been making the spotlight within the culinary realm.

When we get into matters of the tongue, we humans most commonly differentiate between 5 senses: salty, sour, sweet, umami…and bitter; and the chicory family is potentate to all bitter foods! The complex flavors that can accompany a meal prepared from bitter vegetables can turn out incredibly satisfying or end up unbearably…well, bitter.

As is often the case when there is a cult following for a vegetable, more breeding projects gain traction and attention, elevating its status and popularity; currently chicory is soaking up the lime light.

It is my job to raise numerous plants from each variety and observe how they handle the local conditions. Once they have reached maturity, we will have the pleasure of tasting, smelling, touching, and critiquing the differing varieties. I look forward to the road ahead.

A quick shout-out to the Culinary Breeding Network and to the Organic Seed Alliance for their support in our shared goals of producing quality fruits and vegetables fitted to our climate, and also to The Evergreen State College Organic Farm for their constant support.