Not everyone enjoys the flavor of fennel, but everyone can enjoy it in the garden as a butterfly attractor. Since I grew up with fennel, I love the culinary uses. Every part of the plant is edible. While I’ve used the bulbs, fronds, and seeds for a long time, I’ve just come to really appreciate the fennel blooms. Don’t confuse fennel with anise. While they are similar and in the same botanical family, the flavor is quite different. Italians use anise in baked goods, because it has a slightly sweet flavor. However, fennel is savory. It’s used in salads, soups, sausage, and sides.
As a showpiece in our garden, fennel comes back every year or reseeds freely. Currently, the original plant is about 4 feet tall with fennel blooms, flowerheads or clusters of tiny yellow flowers. Swallowtail butterflies use this as a host plant. To read more about fennel for your garden, click here.
For culinary uses, fennel bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, grilled, or eaten raw (i.e. as part of a salad). Fronds are used for garnishes, in salad, to flavor sauces, and also in soups. Fennel seeds are used with all things pork, particularly Italian sausage, and are also steeped for tea . Use the flowers to liven up salads, or garnish soups.
To learn more about the medicinal properties of fennel, click here.
