Plant of the Week: Fennel

Name: Fennel
Latin Name: Foeniculum vulgare
Origin: Indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean

Is it an herb? Is it a vegetable? Is it a flower? It's not a tree, that's for sure. (Although it is in the Magnolia Class...not that that makes it a Magnolia tree...) Fennel is probably most commonly known as an herb, where you use the seed as a flavoring or spice in dishes. Somewhat less common is using the "bulb" - er...well...swollen crown just above the soil level (think kohlrabi, if you know what that is). The type of fennel with the swollen bulbs is called "Florence" fennel. (Think Florence, Italy.) The bulbs are probably most commonly found in Italian cuisine, although not in spaghetti. The seeds are particularly important in some types of Indian and Middle Easter cuisine.

The fennel fronds (think leaves) and flowers are also quite tasty. I actually prefer eating little pieces of the flowers. (Well, it would actually be a small bunch of flowers from part of the raceme of flowers...or maybe it's an umbel. I forget. I think it is an umbel. Yup...Umbel family. That makes it an umbel.) (This post has a lot of parentheses. I must be feeling parenthetical today.) Anyway, back to the point. Fennel pollen is considered a delicacy...an expensive delicacy, for sure. Think about it. When is the last time you tried harvesting a reasonable amount of pollen from anything, let alone an itty bitty tiny flower like fennel?

Fennel can be grown from seed, and will grow year round - in Mediterranean-like climates. There are also bronze fennels, which have reddish fronds, but do not form bulbs. The bulbs take pretty much the whole growing seasone to form, although the fronds and flowers show up sooner.