Fennel is receive in the wild all over California , and much to my amazement , many the great unwashed consider it a weed … an redolent , anise - flavored weed .
I get a modest patch of bulb fennel(Foeniculum vulgare)inmy garden when I hold out in Los Angeles , but my old neighbor across the street had fennel produce en masse on his prop .
Every summertime , as the flowers begin blooming in abundance ( and releasing the ejaculate that make it such a infamous grass ) , I check him cut down stands of grandiloquent , leggy stalk , sending the sugared scent of finocchio through the air and into our yard .
The plants came back anew in wintertime , and by summer , we had flowers again .
Where does fennel grow?
Fennel originated on the shoring of the Mediterranean , making the California coast an ideal environs for thisperennial herbto thrive . It ’s become naturalise along seashores and riverbanks , roadsides , pastures , and other open areas , grow year beat in the ironic , modest mood .
While finocchio is sort as an invasive in this part of the world , it ’s really an importantfood source for pollinators . bee , butterflies , and other louse arehighly attracted to its umbels(umbrella - shaped bloom ) because they ’re easy to land on and collect ambrosia .
In the home garden , Florence fennel is a good plantthat can easily be hold if it is n’t allowed to go to seed .
Can you eat wild fennel?
We unremarkably treat fennel as a spicery ( for its dried seed ) , an herb ( for its fragrant leaves ) , or a vegetable ( for its tender medulla oblongata ) , and most of its uses revolve around cultivated varieties like Florence fennel and bronze finocchio .
Then there ’s the finocchio you see in the wild , splashing hillside with their cheery colouring , and you might wonder : Can you glean and consume idle fennel ?
Yes !
risky fennel leaves are delicious like their homegrown and supermarket counterparts , and the thin still hunt can be cooked and eaten ( though the older the plant , the tougher the texture ) .
And while unfounded fennel does n’t grow a bulb at its base ( at least , not one that we ’d enjoy wipe out ) , it does extend something special that ’s even more coveted in the culinary world : fresh , strong , golden pollen .
Fennel pollen is a rare and expensive spice much like orange yellow is , and in California , it grows with wild abandon .
It ’s cherish not because of how hard it is to gather , but for how short pollen you call up from a single efflorescence head .
A big bloom may only yield an 8th of a teaspoonful at most , so collect enough for your kitchen requires circle of flower head and lots of longanimity .
This is why hazardous fennel is such a source of joyfulness for foragers in the summer . With interminable field of them , you could gather as many flowers as you call for to fill up a small spice jarful .
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Fresh fennel pollen vs. dried fennel pollen
Fresh common fennel pollen shares the same sweet - scented note as fennel fronds , but its flavor is more nuanced , more dynamic . Every pinch of reinvigorated fennel pollen suggestion of Glycyrrhiza glabra , lemon tree , and marshmallows .
You ’ll find these intriguing notes in dry pollen as well , but the flavour ( while still wonderful ) are somewhat subdued .
If you pick your own dotty fennel pollen , you ’ll get to experience flavor you ca n’t corrupt .
How to pick your own wild fennel pollen
Dried fennel pollen
Dried common fennel pollen is the easy to accumulate , as all you demand are a few sheaf of fennel heyday heads .
identify them upside down in a paper handbag , connect the end , and earmark them to dry . Give a handshake and the pollen will fall to the bottom of the purse .
Fresh fennel pollen
Fresh fennel pollen is what I prefer and though it takes a little more fourth dimension and effort to collect , it ’s deserving trying at least once . ( As a monitor , steer clear of wayside fennel that may have been expose to things you do n’t really need in your food . )
To harvest fennel pollen , gather as many blossom as you’re able to and shake each one onto a canvas of lambskin . The pollen will drop from the flowers , and you may get a few of the flyspeck flower buds as well .
( Some people take the extra step of separating the pollen from the bud , but I do n’t bother — I regain them every bit pleasant-tasting . )
To maximise your crop , you could rub two peak heads together mildly to further more pollen to pass .
Its brilliant golden color just tumefy with summer sunlight . After all , that ’s when it thrives .
hive away the fennel pollen in a small shock and endeavor to expend it while it ’s fresh . If your kitchen stay very warm in the summer , it ’s good to keep refreshful pollen refrigerated if you do n’t cook with it right away .
How to use fennel pollen
Unlike dried pollen , which is crusty and tough , sweet pollen is fragile and soft .
It can go wherever fennel or anise may go to accent a cup of tea : on fish or shellfish , pork barrel or chicken , cook out rib or odoriferous sausage balloon .
you’re able to use it as a dry snag for a steak ( a little locomote a long fashion ) or a garnish for soup of all variety , especially savory and creamy ones of tomato , tater , or leek . It ’s perfect on bouillabaisse and cioppino .
splash it on ratatouille and roasted vegetables , or even roast ratatouille . essay a generous pinch on rustic home fries with Petroselinum crispum or delicate pasta with batch .
Fennel pollen also plays gracious with sweets : dust a batch of buttery cookie with it , or add it to muffins and tea bar .
Start with less than you think you need , as it ’s quite a potent spice .
How to collect and use green fennel seeds
In your foraging , you may also come across flower heads that have started to set seed , but are n’t quite ready to drop yet .
Rather than waiting for the germ to dry out , gather them while they ’re still green to use as an herb in your cooking .
Green common fennel seeds pull easily off the fore with your digit and should be keep in an airtight container in the electric refrigerator , where they ’ll stay wise for up to five days .
So what do unripe fennel come taste like ?
suppose juicy anise confect .
I like them stirred intohomemade tomato saucewhile it ’s simmer on the stove . A spoonful of fleeceable Florence fennel seeds also makes a fairly garnish for a shaved fennel salad .
Try it and see how you care it compared to dried fennel germ !
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This stake updated from an article that in the beginning appeared on July 28 , 2014 .
