Rooilof now
available in SA
Brian Berkman
T
he Op Die Berg in the Koue Bokkeveld
area of Ceres is a known apple, pear
and onion growing region. In the last
two years and following a R7 million
infrastructure investment, it is also the South
African headquarters for growing of Witlof,
the chicory leaf so loved by the Dutch and
Belgians and now South Africans too.
According to Fanie van der Merwe, of Bronaar
Farms, the famously tricky crop is now
available 12 months of the year in South Africa
and largely available through supermarkets
like Woolworths and Checkers and grocers
such as Food Lover’s Markets.
“If we had challenges growing Wiltof, Rooilof
is every bit as temperamental and then
some”, says Van der Merwe. “While Witlof
can be enjoyed raw in salads and as “spoons”
for drips, as well as cooked in soups and in
the traditional Belgian way with ham in a
cheese sauce, Rooilof is best used in salads
or as a garnish. We are excited about giving
people all over South Africa the opportunity
to enjoy it more often and to become familiar
with this exceptional new low-carbohydrate
vegetable (3.3g/100g) which is high in fibre
(3.1g) and delivers 10% of the recommended
daily intake of Folate (B9) along with a host
of health enhancing vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants,” says Van der Merwe.
According to Van der Merwe, because of its
high unit cost, Rooilof - with its gorgeous red
veins in the leaf, is a luxury vegetable in the
same way that artichokes and fresh white
asparagus might be. “Like its Witlof brother,
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
the second stage of Rooilof also sees it being
grown in the dark.” he says.
“There are two reasons why Witlof and Rooilof
are costly crops: the first is that only a very
small percentage of seeds develop into roots
suitable for the “forcing” stage. The second
reason is that Witlof and Rooilof, also known
as chicory leaf and Belgian Endive, needs to be
grown in a purpose-built hydroponic and light
and temperature controlled environment. The
best news is that the leafy top or chicon, as it
is called in the industry, and which takes 22
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