Chicory

On the road near Coin, AR I saw this beautiful little plant growing near where Cecil Meek lived when I was just a girl.  Chicory!  It’s cultivated for salad leaves, buds, and or roots.  The roots are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute. In the 21st century, inulin, an extract from chicory root, has been  used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fiber. Chicory is also grown as a forage crop for livestock.  That may be why I saw it near Coin as JR Snow has a big farming operation there now!  Take me back country roads🤍