The versatile vegetable “tastes like a combo of celery and apple raw, and cooked, it gets sweeter,” said Mr. Weiser. Evan Funke, chef-partner at Felix Trattoria in Venice, Calif., handed out chicory seeds to Mr. Weiser and a few other farmers, to make sure he has a constant supply of the bitter green as the seasons shift. Once the peppers hit the market, Mr. Thao expects word of mouth to expand his customer base. The summer strains were tasty and easy to work with, Mr. Vernick found—the right combination for a potential trend. “It’s not like an artichoke, where you do all this work to get a quarter cup of vegetable,” said Mr. Vernick.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 27, 2017 16:07 UTC