Welcome to the radicchio renaissance. Here in the Northwest, farmers  are growing a newly broad selection of the gorgeous, nutritious Italian chicory plants. That’s thanks in part to the Culinary Breeding Network, an Oregon-based organization bringing together scientists, farmers, chefs and eaters.

Obviously, I’m talking about Radicchio (Bookshop/Amazon) by Lane Selman and Margarett Waterbury, published by Timber Press. This book has cult status around these parts!

On two wondrous new books by Ali Frances, Adriana Picker, Lane Selman, and Margarett Waterbury.

Radicchio has long been a favorite with market farmers for its ability to provide something colorful and delicious in the fall and winter. But with its adaptation to very specific regions of Italy, figuring out how to grow the vegetable in North America has been a bit of a puzzle…

“I’d learned about Ghedina, a chicory savant, from Lane Selman, an agricultural science professor at Oregon State University and coauthor of the newly published Radicchio: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable. Selman had assured me that if anyone had chicories growing, Ghedina did.”

Whether it’s radicchio, lemons, or olives, these laser-focused cookbooks celebrate their subject matter.

In the past 10 years, the blushing and beautiful Italian leafy vegetable has become a local star. It didn’t happen by accident.

Radicchio has quietly become the “it girl” of winter foods in the Pacific Northwest.

A chicory-roots organization strives to connect the dots of the food system, and localize your diet. Radicchio is their totem.

When was the last time you made room in your vegetable garden for something a little out of the ordinary that you’d never grown or maybe even tasted before? I don’t know of anyone who speaks out more passionately or eloquently in behalf of exceptional vegetable varieties than Lane Selman…

Excerpted from the book Radicchio, a love letter to the beloved Italian vegetable, this gnocchi and pesto recipe offers an earthier twist on the classic basil version

Jimmy connects with June Russell (Glynwood Grains and Staples), Brigid Meints (Oregon State University), and Lane Selman (Culinary Breeding Network). The crew come together to discuss the Naked Barley Project, the Variety Showcase, regional grains…

In the last century, industrialized farming has killed off delicious food – but a brigade of chefs, breeders and farmers are fighting to bring it back.

In Portland, a city that helped jumpstart the locavore movement, a tight network of growers, greengrocers and foodies has created a thriving market for winter produce.

The purple leaves in your salad are ready to take center stage on your dinner plate.

Everything you need to know about the Italian chicory.

Bitter is better—this is the belief underlying an unlikely trend that has taken off in the Pacific Northwest, creating a community obsessed with the leafy vegetable called radicchio and inspiring its appearance on restaurant menus around the region.

Uniting plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, chefs, and other stakeholders to enhance the quality of vegetables and grains.