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California
ENDIVE Farms 

For the last 15 years, this site has been brought to you by California Vegetable Specialties. Many people have asked us "What other specialty vegetables do you produce?" Well, there's really only one, and that's endive. And that's why we changed our name to California Endive Farms on October 1st. Founded in 1983, with just five acres, by Rich Collins and his wife, Shelly, the company is the leading grower of white endive in the U.S., and the largest grower of red endive in the world. read more

 

California ENDIVE at Dr. Oz's Healthcorps Fundraiser

California Endive Farms, the major producer of Belgian-style endive in America, recently supported TV health guru Dr. Oz and his HealthCorps foundation at a fundraiser in Sacramento, Calif. Both Rich Collins, founder and president of California Endive Farms, and his wife, Shelly, are big advocates of the HealthCorps mission. 

HealthCorps, started in 2003 by Dr. Oz, fights obesity and mental resilience crisis in America by getting students and their families to become health agents of change in communities across the country. Similar to the Peace Corps, HealthCorps chooses young adults to defer medical school and commit two years to working at schools, where they teach nutrition and fitness classes, run cafeteria demos, hold after school cooking and fitness clubs, and serve as mentors for high school teenagers.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, with Shelly and Rich Collins, founders of Californian Endive Farms, the major endive producer in America.

Photo: Dr. Mehmet Oz, with Shelly and Rich Collins, founders of California Endive Farms, at a fundraiser in Sacramento, Calif., for Dr. Oz's Health Corps foundation.

why its called endive and why its grown in the dark
The Endive Blog
Through the years I’ve been called cheap by friends and family.  Why?  As a kid I used to roam nearby construction sites picking up nails dropped by carpenters.  If they were bent I’d bring them home and straighten them out for future use.  In the fall of each year I’d cajole...
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did you know:

ENDIVE is a member of the chicory family, which includes radicchio, escarole and curly endive.
Perhaps the most versatile member of the lettuce family — ENDIVE is great in salads, used as scoop for dips, sautéed, braised, baked or grilled.
ENDIVE is always in season — perfect for enjoying any time of year.
California Endive Farms is the only producer of Belgian-style ENDIVE in the U.S. — the largest producer of red endive in the world.
On a per pound basis, ENDIVE is less expensive than bagged salads and most chips and crackers.
There's no need to wash ENDIVE. Just trim the bottom and you’re ready to go! 
ENDIVE keeps longer than most other lettuces — 10 to 14 days in the refrigerator.
ENDIVE is rich in vitamins A, B, C and K, high in fiber and a good source of beta-carotene and potassium.
ENDIVE is the one-calorie per leaf salad ingredient, with only 17 calories per elegant little head.
ENDIVE is the “Slimmer Dipper” — lower in calories and healthier than crackers or chips.