Coffee Chicory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum)

Perennial herb grown for its thick fleshy taproot, which is roasted and ground as a traditional coffee substitute or additive.

Sold as plugs for transplanting, the roots can be harvested the following spring before flowering for the best quality for coffee. Or you can let them grow out for the perennial blue flowers.  Very hardy and long lived if left in the ground, and the attractive blue flowers last long into the summer for pollinators. 

The most common way to grow chicory is for the roots and they are best harvested after the first year.

Hardiness: Zone 3