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trays are again stacked floor to ceiling in the dark warmth of a second insulated room where they stay until the forced growth, fed by nutrients dissolved in water, reaches three or four inches. “If ye turn the lights on, the endive turns green and green endive is unsaleable,” Wit pointed out.
When the plants are mature, the roots are discarded, either used as feed for cattle or dumped on farm fields as fertilizer, and the endive is harvested and packaged for delivery to Giant Food Stores. Sweet and crunchy with a nutty, buttery taste, it is the queen of the lettuce world, perfect for tossing in a salad or serving in soup or casserole.
The Kuncewiczes still have a final step to take before they’re ready to call ^ their new Sperryvifle business a complete success. “We don’t know how much or how long we’ll be able to produce this season,” Dorothy Kuncewicz said. They hope to make it a year round operation but that hinges on whether they will be able to grow the roots—as well as the lettuce—hydroponically.
“We did grow the roots in our greenhouse that way,” Dorothy said.
“The lettuce wasn’t saleable because of its looks,” added Wit. “But it tasted just as good!”
“It’s hard to keep a greenhouse dark,” Mrs. Kuncewicz noted, predicting better luck under the conditions at the Sperryville endive factory.
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