This edition of herb of the month was chosen based on what was still looking good in our very own herb garden – and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is the winner by far! This multi-purpose perennial plant is best grown in loose, well-drained soil, with regular watering and full sunlight. Although it is suitable for container gardening, it will really thrive in the ground. The most likely problem to encounter when growing fennel is root rot, easily avoidable by ensuring you don’t overwater the plants and that they are in light soil. Although I have to say our fennel is outdoors and winters are very wet here and it does just fine.
Whilst fennel is best known for the aniseed taste of its seeds, its bulb (Florence Fennel – Foeniculum vulgare, var. azoricum) is a great vegetable to cook with, being very high in vitamin C. Its fine leaves can be snipped and used for seasoning; the thicker stalks are also great as a snack with hummus (if you like that sort of thing). It can also be kept around just for its pleasant yellow flowers, or its ferny foliage used to stunning effect in flower arrangements.
Fennel is used as seasoning in a lot of Mediterranean cuisine, but can also be delicious combined in more unusual foods – fennel chocolate truffles are simply wonderful. It can also be used in salads, stews, risottos, or this gorgeous recipe for avocado, prawn and fennel cocktails.
The seeds of fennel are often made into oil to treat various ailments, including heartburn, bloating, colic, coughs, bronchitis and backache. It is even suggested to be a cure for bedwetting. Fennel powder can be used as a poultice for snakebites and some women use forms of fennel to help increase the flow of breast milk and ease the birthing process.
The latin for fennel is Foeniculum vulgare and historically, fennel is the symbol of flattery. Shakespeare used this symbolism most famously in ‘Hamlet’, where Ophelia slights the King by handing him fennel (or flattery). It is thought that this is due to the tendency of fennel to wilt very quickly after being picked.