Meat cabbage
When meat herb , usually Sugar ( Italian Pan di Zucchero , English Sugar Loaf , French chicory Pain De Sucre ) called, is a form of chicory ( Cichorium intybus var. Foliosum; here with the addition f cylindricum. ). The name sugar loaf comes from the growth form that resembles a sugar loaf , but has nothing to do with the taste. It forms elongated, loose heads, comparable to romaine lettuce , also known as binding lettuce. Other names are autumn chicory, autumn chicory.
Origin and Distribution
Originally this chicory comes from Italy, southern France , Austria and Ticino . Today it is also grown all over France, southern Germany and all of Switzerland. Italy in particular exports this vegetable heavily.
description
Sugar loaf first forms a rosette of leaves, then an elongated, well-closed, firm head. The leaves are matt light green to light yellow, large and elongated oval. The thousand grain weight is 1.1–1.5 g. The seeds can be stored for 3–4 years.
Cultivation and harvest
The meat cabbage is produced in larger quantities, as is endive in autumn and winter. It does not need any special soils or a special climate. Varieties from earlier years should not be sown before mid to late June, otherwise sugar loaf tends to shoot up . With today's hybrids, which are significantly more bulletproof, year-round cultivation can also take place from the end of March. If sown much later, the crop will remain in production and the taste will be more bitter. The lettuce is planted with ten plants / m² at distances of 38 x 28 cm or 33 x 30 cm. Sugar loaf can be harvested until November because it tolerates temperatures of −4 ° C and colder. They are stored in climate-controlled stores in boxes or with roots hammered in upright close together with intermediate layers of not completely dry earth or sand. Meat cabbage is seasonal in the range of retail chains and is then z. B. delivered from Rhineland-Palatinate during the period from October 15th to December 31st.
Diseases and pests
Sugar Loaf suffers most from aphids , which damage the leaves from May through their sucking activity. Occasionally the lettuce root louse is found , which sucks on the roots and causes the plant to wither. Gray mold occurs all year round as a weak parasite if the plant has been injured. Injuries can occur from heavy rain, hail or simply from cultivation work. Powdery mildew is a "fair weather mushroom" that grows particularly in beautiful and dry weather. In cooler, wet autumn conditions, the leaves are more affected by Alternaria , causing leaf spots and lowering the quality for sale. The brown edges of the leaves are caused by irregular water supply.
ingredients
From a nutritional point of view, they are comparable to those of endive and chicory . The plant also contains the bitter substance lactucopicrine .
use
In the past, sugar loaf was a typical lager vegetable that made "fresh" salads in winter. The heads can be cut across like Chinese cabbage , creating thin strips. Like chicory, it is also suitable for gratinating and cooking. If you want to reduce the bitterness of the aroma, you can soak the leaves in lukewarm water or use more mature heads. The shelf life is better than that of the endive.
swell
- ↑ a b G. Vogel, Handbuch des Spezial Gemüsebau, Fleischkraut, ISBN 3-8001-5285-1 , 1996, pp. 122–127.
- ^ H. Krug: Vegetable production. 2nd edition, 1991, p.
- ↑ F. Keller, Sugar Loaf without problems also for early cultures, Deutscher Gartenbau No. 15, 1991, pp. 961–963.
- ↑ J. Schlaghecken et al., Neustadter Hefte No. 5, Cultivation and Variety Advice for Vegetable Cultivation 1999/2000, 1998, p. 174.
- ↑ J. Schlaghecken: Vegetable supply season in the Palatinate. Hortigate, 2001.
- ^ E. Meyer et al .: Pocket book of the plant doctor. 45., revised series, Landwirtschaftsverlag GmbH Münster-Hiltrup, 1996, pp. 162–167.
- ↑ G. Crüger: Plant protection in vegetable cultivation. 3rd, revised edition, ISBN 3-8001-5135-9 , 1991, pp. 62–79.
- ↑ F. Keller et al .: 100 vegetables: cut chicory. 1986, p. 116.