Homemade Coffee

Patrick likes coffee but I don't. I'm a tea person. However, I love the scent of coffee so I support my man's addiction to the bean. He has been talking about wanting to make Chicory coffee for a long time now so I decided to help him out yesterday.

Chicory is an invasive alien plant (not a good thing for the environment) that thrives on roadsides and waste areas. You've probably seen this purple, bushy plant along your own frequented highway. Patrick and I like to study local wildflowers and upon doing so we learned that chicory is edible and the roots are frequently used to flavor coffee.

We've been looking for a good spot to pick some Chicory but since it grows mostly on highways, it's dangerous to park in most areas we've seen it growing. I saw it in front of a paint store yesterday and thought about grabbing it but I didn't want the store owner to come out yelling at me for stealing what he might think is a beautiful flower on his property. Then, JACKPOT! I spotted the purple flowers on a corner of a major road near our house where a residential crossroad intersects! Perfect! I turned onto the residential road, found a safe little spot to park, and went to work.

It turns out Chicory is a tough plant to pull. The roots are strong. It took two hands and all my might to pluck the ten or so plants I got. Drivers and a lone bicyclist gave me funny looks but I didn't care. I was determined to help my honey make his coffee. And I did.

I called Patrick at work and told him I had a present waiting for him in my car and he could get it himself when he got home (I did all the work so far; he could do the rest). He was excited when he approached the car and saw his gift. He went right to work cutting the roots off, washing them and roasting them in the oven. He enjoyed his cup of Chicory coffee last night and has enough leftover to have another cup tonight.

If you spot Chicory growing in your area and can safely get to it, you'd be doing the environment a service by pulling it out. Make yourself, or someone you love, a cup of coffee by following Patrick's step by step recipe. You can take it even further by reading this article about how invasive Chicory is and use their salad recipes while you're at it.

Please let me know if you do make coffee or anything else with Chicory. Enjoy!