Fennel

Fennel is a tender annual with straight, succulent, oval stems which sprout from a bulbous root. This amazing plant has been known to grow up to 6 feet tall and 18 inches wide, and produce aromatic flowers and seeds with a sweet flavor of candy shop licorice, or anise.

Considered by many to be a gourmet delicacy, fennel is a delicious additional seasoning in stuffing, makes a wonderful salad or dressing, is fantiastic in holiday breads or cookies, and is superb in sauces for fish. The bulb alone can be sautéed as a root vegetable, or sliced or grated raw in sandwiches or pasta salads.

The versatile stalk is commonly referred to as an herb for cooking, but also has many therapeutic qualities. A facial pack made of fennel tea and honey is good for wrinkles, and the medicinal use of fennel has long been used to aid digestion and heartburn, and acts as an appetite suppressant.

Selecting: In general the stalks should be firm, clean and free of signs of aging. The bulbous base should be compact, greenish-white, with green upper stalks, and grass green fern-like shoots. Fennel with coarsely striated stalks is old and pithy. Those with limp, rubbery stalks and wilted, yellowed or brown leaves are old and have dried out and lost flavor. Slippery brown spots on the leaves indicate that these vegetables have been over-chilled and will be tasteless.

Storing: Do not wash stalk vegetables before storing; doing so leaves water on them that hastens decay. remove any limp outer leaves, wrap stalks in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate. Fennel should stay fresh up to a week this way.

Preperparation: Wash in cold water. Cut off leaves before cooking stalks and use leaves as a flavoring in soups, sauces or baking. Skin the fennel base by cutting partway through the top of the fennel bulb at the inside edge of each stalk base, leaving the outer strings uncut. Then pull each half-cut piece away from you toward the bulb base; the strings will come with it. Skinning fennel aids in a more tender and succulent bulb.