Growers

Peter Schreurs and Sons Vegetable Farm of Devon Meadows, south-east of Melbourne was among the first in Australia to plant baby endive for Perfection Fresh.

Baby endive

Paul Schreurs

Baby endive has a unique, sharp taste which is stronger when raw and becomes milder when cooked. We love it!

Peter Schreurs and Sons Vegetable Farm of Devon Meadows, south-east of Melbourne was among the first in Australia to plant baby endive for Perfection Fresh, starting with its first crop of the distinctive lettuce in 2002.

The Schreurs - father Peter and brothers Paul, Mark and Darren - have been producing vegetables for Perfection Fresh since 1988. As well as baby endive, the Schreurs also harvest baby cos lettuce, baby wombok, radicchio, kohlrabi and parsnips on 160 hectares, 12 months of the year.

"Baby endive is quite different from broad-leafed endive varieties. It is a fine-leafed lettuce which curls at the end and wilts quickly when cooked, a bit like spinach. It also has a unique, sharp taste which is stronger when raw and becomes milder when cooked," production manager, Paul Schreurs says.

Grown on raised beds in perfect rows, baby endive seedlings are planted at six weeks and take another six to 10 weeks to mature. Once ready, they are cut from the stalk by hand, washed carefully and packed on the farm.

The Schreurs now send about 40,000 boxes of the midly bitter leafy green to market every year.

And although they knew very little about growing baby endive when they planted their first seedlings, the lettuce, known as frisée in Europe, quickly became a family favourite.

"It's now included in most of our meals - either in soups, salads or as a side dish to fish or other meats - we love it!" Paul says.

Paul's top tip? Wash baby endive well! "The fine-leaf nature of baby endive causes it to trap pieces of sandy soil from the farm in its foliage. It's best to give each head a thorough dunking at home," he says.