Fennel
(Foeniculum vulgare)
Fennel is one of our oldest cultivated plants and was much valued by the Romans. They ate its leaf, root and seed in salads, and baked it in bread and cakes. Warriors took fennel to keep in good health, while Roman ladies ate it to prevent obesity. In Anglo-Saxon times it was used on fasting days to still pangs of hunger. It was one of the nine herbs held sacred by them for its power against evil. And more recently, in American Puritan communities, it became known as the "Meeting Seed because seeds of fennel and dill were taken to church to ally hunger during very long sermons.
Fennel is a hardy perennial with lots of small yellow flowers in large umbells (clusters) in late summer. It has soft, green feathery foliage. Bronze fennel has very striking bronze feathery leaves and is a favorite for not only its culinary use, but also for its beauty in any garden. It is a hardy perennial, Zone 5-11.
Florence fennel is grown as an annual with clusters of small yellow flowers in late summer. The leaf is feathery and green. The base develops into a white bulbous sweet vegetable, with a crisp texture and a delicate aniseed flavor. Fennel likes a sunny position in fertile, well-drained loamy soil. In a decent garden soil, fennel looks more like a dome of green candyfloss.
