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Gourmet Vegetables: Smart Tips and Tasty Picks for Gardeners and Gourmet Cooks

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce)

by Renee Shepherd

This delicately flavored vegetable, also known as finocchio or Florence fennel, is a traditional Italian culinary mainstay. Recipes for fennel go all the way back to Roman times, and the vegetable is also a part of ancient Greek and French cooking traditions.

A striking, pale green, two-foot-tall plant that forms a solid bulblike base the size of a tennis ball right at soil level, fennel has overlapping celerylike stems topped by feathery green fronds. It's important to distinguish this fleshy vegetable from the herb fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare): the anise-flavored leaves and seeds of that non-bulbing herb are used as a flavoring throughout the temperate world.

Growing Fennel

Fennel

Not to be confused with the herb fennel, the vegetable fennel forms a delicously crunchy bulblike base of overlapping stems just above soil level.

Fennel needs rich soil, full sun, and cool weather to grow tender, top-quality bulbs. In cold-winter areas, start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date, using a sterile mix. Keep the mix moist and provide the seedlings with at least 12 hours of artificial light per day until they are well established and ready for transplanting; they should be two to three inches tall, with a set or two of true leaves. As soon as the soil can be worked and all danger of frost is over, transplant the seedlings to the garden bed, spacing them 10 to 12 inches apart. (You can sow the seeds directly outdoors, but it's more difficult, as the seedlings are small and the feathery leaves can be hard to see. Don't forget to thin them for proper spacing.) In areas where winter temperatures don't go much below 26°F or 27°F, fennel can be grown in cool spring weather and planted again in middle to late summer for a fall harvest.

Keep the plants evenly moist throughout the growing season; mulching is a good strategy. I have found fennel to be a very heavy feeder, so even if you have rich soil, feed the fennel every three weeks throughout the growing period with a good all-purpose fertilizer or every two weeks with a solution of fish emulsion. It takes from 80 to 90 days for the bulbs to become solid and firm; when they are ready, cut them off at soil level.

Recommended Varieties

Days to maturity are counted from the time of planting seed.

'Trieste'—90 days; French hybrid bred for large rounded bulbs with crunchy succulent flesh and sweet anise flavor; great raw in salads or cooked.

'Zefa Fino'—65 days; from Florence; large tender anise-flavored bulb forms at base of leaf stalk.

Eating Fennel

Fennel and Pea Sauté

  • 4 or 5 medium fennel bulbs
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups peas (If using frozen peas, defrost partially before using.)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut off the fennel tops, reserving the feathery leaves for garnish. Slice the bulbs into thin strips. In a large skillet heat the oil and add the onion and fennel. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until tender-crisp. Add the lemon juice, tarragon, and peas, and cook five minutes more until the peas and fennel are just tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped fennel tops just before serving. Serves six.

This recipe is adapted from More Recipes From a Kitchen Garden, by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff (Ten Speed Press, 1995).

Now you are ready to enjoy fennel's many delights. Bulbing fennel has a texture much like celery but with a nutty, mild anise flavor. If you are eating the fennel raw, remove the first heavy wrapping layers or destring them as you would celery. Trim off the feathery leaves to use as garnish. The raw flesh is thick and crisp when slivered, sliced, or coarsely chopped. Add it to any mixed vegetable or green salad, or partner it with fresh ripe tomatoes and arugula. It is also delicious with sliced oranges and curly endive. As an appetizer, serve slivered fennel with mild soft goat cheese, olives, and shaved nutty Asiago or Parmesan cheese. Or serve thin slices of fennel for dessert, plated with cream cheese and fresh figs.

This delicious vegetable deepens and mellows when cooked, becoming sweet and succulent with a rich flavor that enhances vegetable, meat, poultry, pasta, and fish dishes. Brushed with olive oil and grilled, fennel makes a great side dish for grilled fish, especially salmon. Roast quartered fennel bulbs with chicken or with pork and apples for a meltingly delicious combination of flavors. To braise fennel, sprinkle sliced bulbs with good virgin olive oil, bake until tender, then finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a few finely chopped anchovies and brown under the broiler.

Renee Shepherd has made a career of introducing international specialty vegetables, flowers, and herbs to home gardeners. Her seed company, Renee's Garden, based in Felton, California, offers seed packets through independent garden centers nationwide or on the Internet. She speaks to many gardening groups and writes for gardening and cooking periodicals. She is currently completing her third cookbook.

Photo: David Cavagnaro