fennel

[Elliot]

I bought a fenel plant today. Its an herb that tastes like licorice . Has anyone grown this?

Elliot

[RayR]

Yes, there is leaf fennel like Bronze Fennel and bulb fennel like Florence Fennel. I grow some Florence Fennel, which is sweeter and more popular for culinary use. The flavor is more like Anise. I have been familiar with it since I was a kid, when I only knew it by its Italian name "finocchio" since my Italian grandparents grew some in their garden every year.
The whole plant is edible, including the tasty seeds which are a great spice, I like to add some seeds in Italian meatballs like my mother and grandmother did. Great stuff! The fresh feathery leaves are used as a herb or an addition to salads. The bulb (not really a true bulb, but the mass where all the stalks meet), grows above ground is used as a vegetable.
If you grow it for seed, just one plant will make a lot of seed, just collect the big dill-like seed heads when they are dry and brown. Fennel will self seed, so don't be surprised if you get a few volunteers pop up in the garden in the late spring.

[nicky]

Try chopping the bulb into 3 or 4" pieces. Cover in butter & garlic & roast on the BBQ. It's fantastc!

There are some great leek & fennel soup recipes as well.

[Elliot]

Its funny how different people see things from different viewpoints. I pointed out my newly planted fennel plant to a friend. He said, "what, you planted this weed."

He apparentely planted it at his home a few years ago and now it is growing out of controll all over and even in the cracks in the sidewalks.

Elliot

[Tracydr]

It's a wonderful plant. Attracts all sorts of beneficials and swallowtail butterflies. It's great to add to spaghetti sauce, soups, stews, rye bread. Even my dogs love it when I give them pieces.
The ground spice is actually a favorite flavoring for many different animals like horses and dogs.
I use the ground seed in my canned spaghetti sauce.
I also add the seed to a wonderful, 100% rye bread that I make.
The build is great roasted with other root veggies, in addition to so many other ways.

[Elliot]

Sounds delicious

[habitat_gardener]

Fennel does grow like a weed here, but I keep one at the edge of my community garden plot anyway. Occasionally I nibble on a leaf, some years I collect the seeds, but its main function has been to protect one tomato plant from early-autumn cold winds!

I grow bronze fennel, which is reputed to be less invasive than regular fennel. I haven't noticed very many seedlings.

[lurley]

I have bronze fennel in the herb garden. All leaf and no bulb, which is fine with me because I don't really care for the licorice taste. It is pretty and attracts nice bugs. I use a little and sell a little, sometimes I have the occasional volunteer but it doesn't grow like a weed here, even with full sun, unlike the lemon balm and mint... oh, and never ever plant epazote. I thought I needed the authentic mexican ingredient so I grew it myself...it IS a weed. It has millions of seeds. Luckily it is an annual and after three years of pulling I have most of it gone although every spring a few try to slip past me.

[Elliot]

So far I have one plant that is not growing as big as I would like