Fennel
Similar vegetables
Celery, dill
A quick introduction
Fennel's refreshing aniseed-like flavour makes this bulbous veggie really stand out. We grow small baby fennels in spring and bigger fennels a bit later in the season. We often make bunches of fennel greens for the CSA boxes as the greens are great to use in pesto’s and salads. (See the separate page for fennel greens, it’s listed under the herbs.)
Storage
Fennel stores for about a week in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.
Season
End of spring to fall
Suggestions for preparation
To prepare fennel raw, remove any thick, fibrous outer layers. Halve or quarter the fennel head, and leave it as is or shred it for salads. Fennel is delicious when dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, hummus, or any other dip you like. Shredded fennel with thinly sliced oranges make a perfect winter salad. Fennel can also be cooked and can handle intense heat and longer cooking times. So try grilling or roasting it, or use it for gratins.
Recipes
See the second recipe for spaghetti with fennel fronds (fennel greens), sardines, lemon zest and chilli.
Find lots of different fennel recipes on this page (we like to make the second one, a very simple orange and fennel salad)
Gratin with fennel and radicchio
Fennel risotto
A tip from one of our members: caramelize thick slices of fennel and serve them with goats cheese.