Fennel

Description

Wild fennel is a hardy perennial herb, of good ornamental value, and of considerable size, indeed it exceeds a metre in height, which has a much more intense scent than cultivated fennel. Every part of it is edible: seed, root, stem, foglia.

Stem

The young stems, straight and of an intense greenish-blue colour, can be eaten in salads.

Leaves

Very fine, finely shaped and deliciously aromatic, the fennel leaves, which clasp the stems with broad sheaths, reveal that the plant prefers a dry, stony environment; resembling thin, soft filaments of a fine shiny green, they darken with the coming of autumn; but their taste remains pleasant and delicate if care has been taken not to let the plants go to seed.

Flowers

The yellow umbels of the fennel flowers open in June; they should be removed if you want to prevent the leaves from taking on a bitter taste. SEEDS: The seeds of wild fennel, greenish brown in colour, grooved and curved, are the most interesting part of the plant, since, thanks to their unmistakable aroma, are used to flavour biscuits, liqueurs, sauces, eccetera.

Exposure

The position, always warm and sheltered, must be sunny if you wish to bring a good crop of seeds to full ripeness; in half shade if you wish to eat more tender, delicately flavoured leaves.

Propagation

Once established, wild fennel self-seeds, but initially, if you wish to propagate it, the clumps can be divided in autumn. Those who prefer to sow should do so in late spring, or early summer, taking care to cover the seeds only lightly.

Growth

If they have germinated too densely, the fennel plants should be thinned out, leaving at least forty centimetres between one and the next. To prevent the leaves from taking on a bitter taste, it is best to cut off the tops bearing the seeds.

Harvesting

The stems should be picked young, and so should the leaves; the seeds once ripe; the roots should be lifted from the ground in autumn.

Storage

The seeds and stalks are dried, and their aroma grows stronger rather than being lost; while the leaves are frozen or preserved in oil or vinegar.

Properties

IN THE KITCHEN: Fennel seeds go well with all fatty meats, particularly pork, and have the property of making them more digestible. They are also used to flavour the water in which chestnuts are boiled, to scent black olives or dried figs. Aromatic fennel oil is excellent for drizzling over roast fish, made by leaving a few dried stalks to steep in it.

Beauty

The seeds, when chewed, combat bad breath; their decoction soothes reddened eyes: it can be used as a rinse or as a compress.

Health

The wine obtained by steeping 150 grams of fennel seeds in a litre of good wine for about ten days, then filtering it well, if taken in doses of one teaspoon before meals and two after them, aids digestion and reduces flatulence.

Curiosity

The variety Foeniculum vulgare ‘Black Cloud’, while fully retaining the aromatic characteristics of wild fennel, including that of attracting butterflies and bees, has a particular ornamental value that makes it advisable for use in the garden: its leaves, which resemble those of ferns in shape, are a fine coppery red and grow particularly vigorously if care is taken to cut off the main stem of the clump as soon as it is about ten centimetres high.