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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Dad Grew Perfect WITLOF or Belgian Endive

 No wonder that this is one of my favorite veggies!
Yes, about seven years ago I did a post about Belgian Endive Salad (see link below) but then I did not have the negatives scanned.
Also my youngest sister Gerd Van den Munckhof did scan some old black and white photos from Mom & Dad's Estate since then.
Bet most of you have NO IDEA how this WHITE GOLD is being produced?
This shows how Dad was digging in the roots for their 220 chill hours, in December of 1956.
Those roots are being required to grow in a dark environment.
Dad did this outside, this was before he had his first greenhouse built.
The greenhouse to the left is from a neighbor.
December 1972, from my scanned negatives.
This shows Mom setting in those Belgian Endive roots for being grown in the dark.
With the two wheel wagon, Dad has dumped the roots along the section to be set in.
Tedious work!
Dad on his knees, doing the very same and to the right the 2 wheel wagon and part of the 4 wheel one.
Labor intensive!
Dad shown here using his Agria Baby 1100 a unicycle degree milling machine with single axle.
For that time quite an invention! Click link for seeing one in working...
These photos are not good, my very first Kodak camera!
It almost looks like Dad used some straw to cover it up...
Can't ask my Dad anymore; wish I'd had these negatives scanned before he died on June 30, 2019.
Photos got scanned by my sister.
These are from 1973 where Dad used his Kramer tractor and the 2-wheel wagon behind it and the 4-wheel wagon.
Showing wooden crates with the dug up roots that now have grown the Belgian Endive on the top.
Quite a harvest...
For cleaning them and preparing them for the auction, the job could be done indoors.
Here Dad did bring in some of the wooden crates with Belgian Endive into the greenhouse.
With some plastic curtains and the use of a HiLo petroleum heater, they kept it more 'pleasant' during the cold winter days!
Too bad that this is not in color as the paper used is BLUE, which perfectly does set off the white, now cleaned Belgian Endives. The outer leaves are being removed and also properly cut off.
Mom took this photo of Dad holding two wooden crates with cleaned and weighted, ready for auction, Belgian Endive.
It was Dad's pride, he always loved growing them and as with most veggies, he grew them well and with excellent quality. Not loose but rather dense heads.

Did any of you KNOW how this special veggie is being grown?

Related link:
{Belgian Endive Salad with Chia Seeds} | previous post with my favorite recipe
Nature's Gold | How it is done anno 2022 the modern way!

20 comments:

  1. Hello Mariette, My favorite childhood book told about producing witloof. The authority I seem to cite so often, Euell Gibbons, recommends using wild chicory roots to produce witloof as a forced winter crop. His method is to bring the roots into a warm cellar, bury the roots to their crowns, then add a thick layer of sawdust to form the witloof. He also adds that after the witloof are cut, the roots can be rearranged to produce a looser type of salad leaf known as barbe de capucin. Chicory with its blue flowers is one of the most abundant wild plants, so it seems a shame to let it go to waste, although merely looking at it also constitutes a good use.
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      Indeed the name witloof is correct and you at least know about its uses.
      Pieter recalls very well the use of chicory as a coffee substitute during WWII!
      The wild chicory has lovely blue flowers indeed.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  2. Amazing photos recording history. Thank you, Mariette, for taking the time to recover all these photos. Wonderful memories.

    God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Victor,
      Thank you and we certainly hope you have also eaten this vegetable.
      For me very fond memories that I do remember so well.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. Really interesting! Absolutely strange plant, is it like cabbage?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Anne,
      No, not at all like cabbage. You eat it raw like a salad or Belgialainen endiivinen you also can eat gratinoitu.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. I had no idea how these were grown. It really was a treat to be able to see these photos that showed the process. Such wonderful memories of your childhood!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Heidi,
      Belgian Endive is still one of my favorite veggies and I'm very happy with these photos! It brings back lots of fond memories. Glad you enjoyed viewing this process.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. Very interesting. I love endive salad and endives with ham and béchamels sauce.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Catherine,
      It is such a unique veggie and I love the salad most!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  6. Not a vegetable I have heard of, thus I found this interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jo-Anne,
      No doubt you do have it in Australia!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. this old photos is so amazing
    http://retromaggie.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. How curious. It was not a vegetable very used in Portugal. Now it's already on sale, but it's not very popular. Old photos are amazing.
    xoxo

    Coisas de Feltro

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Christina,
      It is a most interesting crop indeed and I remember Dad and Mom preparing them when I was still a toddler. To me it always remains a most favorite veggie and I prefer to eat them raw as a salad.
      Guess when more people get to know it, also in Portugal it will become popular.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. I had no idea how these were grown! Fascinating!

    Such an awesome treat to be able to see these photos that you shared.

    Happy Weds, Marriette!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Veronica,
      It makes us appreciate more what we are able to eat!
      Indeed, growing Belgian endive is quite fascinating.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. Mi piace molto l'indivia belga!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cara Olga,
      Anch'io e lo stesso per radicchio!
      Abbracci,
      Mariette

      Delete

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Mariette...

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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