Sunday 8 August 2010

Anyone for Fennel

Today I dug up the last of my first batch of fennel. These were grown in peat pots at home and then planted out. I grew half a dozen of the usual "Florence" and half a dozen "Rudy" because the speil said they were slow to bolt. The usual advice is to crop them when they "about the size of a tennis ball" This one qualifies



and so do these:


Both lots did well but the Rudy were rudy good indeed. I won't beleive the advice to leave sowing until the days start getting shorter, after 21st June, anymore.

13 comments:

  1. Must admit that this is unfortunately one vegetable that we are not too keen on so don't grow it but yours do look good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have never grown fennel, I don't even know how it tastes like. It looks very pretty. Do you eat it fresh or cook it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,
    This year I've grown fennel for the first time but it didn't form that white bulb. Is there a special way to grow fennel?

    ReplyDelete
  4. To answer your question Mojo, it tastes of aniseed, which is probably why Sue doesn't like it. It's like Marmite, you either like it or you don't. We eat it shredded raw, or braised with a little water. It's great in salads or cooked with fish.

    GDU - There's Herb Fennel (which you are growing) and there's Florence Fennel (or Finnochio as the Italians call it) which forms a white 'bulb' of swollen stalks.

    BTW I have a strong aversion to Celery (and Lovage, the Maggi Plant) but I love Fennel.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thought I'd cracked it this year, but once again they bolted. Do love it tho', quartered and roasted with squash and sweet potato and served with pork. Maybe next year?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, i am jealous! :o)

    Yours and mine were about the same size just a short while ago, but mine stopped growing. They started to bolt last week and i pulled them yesterday. I saved the tenderer bits to use for stock or roasting as an aromatic instead of a side dish.
    I love the taste of fennel so i'm a bit disappointed, but this was my first try. I'll keep them watered better next year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're spot on Mal that IS what I don't like about the taste although I have little sprigs of the herb bronze fennel in salads but it's only a hint then. Not too keen on tarragon either which I think has a similar taste. Never had marmite but I don't think I'd like that either!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks good Mal, maybe one for my list next year.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I grow fennel....but never harvest it. I love the scent and think it is pretty to grow but don't really like it in cooking....plus where I have it isn't really conducive to being dug up as I would disturb all the other herbs...what do you cook with it??

    ReplyDelete
  10. I went somewhere recently where they had put a huge bunch of dried fennel foliage in a large vase - it smelt lovely. I have never grown it before but it occured to me it may be worth it just for this purpose!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Crikey! The one on the left looks like a tennis ball! Whats the secret to growing decent tennis balls ??????

    ReplyDelete
  12. they look fab. Rather like peacocks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. "Whats the secret to growing decent tennis balls ??????"

    That's easy Jim: Don't let your dog get hold of them!

    ReplyDelete