Florence fennel is a delicious, bulbous stem, with a distinctly aniseed flavour. An excellent accompaniment to fish or a winter roast. A late summer and autumn vegetable, it needs a long warm summer with plenty of water to form a good sized bulb.
Growing Tips
Fennel Florence likes compost and manure added to the soil. Keep it well watered during hot times in summer. If the fennel starts to flower or send up side shoots taller than a foot, cut them back. The flowers and extra stalks use up energy needed for the bulb to start fattening.
Use
It has a mild aniseed flavour, but sweeter and more aromatic. The bulb is eaten as a vegetable, both raw and cooked. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavoured spice, brown or green in colour when fresh, slowly turning a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal. The leaves are delicately flavored and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp, hardy root vegetable and may be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw.
Herb Attributes
|
Harvest |
Harvest Florence fennel when the base starts to bulb out about 4 to 5 inches. Pull up the plant, holding onto the bulb as you pull. Cut off all but the top 9 inches of the fern growth. |
|
Position |
Part to Full Sun |
|
Height |
2.5m |
|
Lifespan |
Annual- Biennial |