Growing Florence Fennel

Florence fennel is related to celery and celeriac. Also known as Finocchio, Florence Fennel is easy to grow, and a lovely addition to the herb or vegetable garden with it's wispy foliage. Finocchio is a beautiful cool-season plant with feathery blue-green foliage. It's delicious raw or cooked, from top to bottom, but especially the broad, tender leafstalks and the crisp bulb.

If you purchase seeds or plants at a garden center be sure to ask for Florence Fennel-versus the Common Fennel. One source I ran across called this variety F. vulgare dulce, but it appears that is not correct; you will be looking for F. vulgare azoricum.

Plant the fennel seeds directly into rich soil, and keep the bed moist for two weeks until the first leaves appear. At this point be careful not to over water, but treat as you would a garden vegetable. Fennel can be planted right up till August, so it's not too late to get started!

The bulb does take months to grow to it's full size, but you can use it at any point. When the bulbs are about the size of an egg, pile the soil up around it so it will continue to grow away from the light. At this point the bulb should be ready to harvest in 2 to 3 weeks.

You may cut off the seed heads when they form and give the bulb a few more days to grow, then harvest. In mild climates you can grow and harvest fennel all year long using this method. Start picking leaves when the plant is about 18 inches (45 cm) tall. Harvest the rest of the plant when the bulb is firm and about the size of a clenched fist.

To store your fennel bulbs wrap them in plastic and store in a cool place. You can also use the young leaves of Florence Fennel in salads and other cold dishes. The bulbs are often eaten similar to celery when thinly sliced and added to salads and soups.

Try mincing the bulb and adding to a salad of grapefruit and avocado for a different dish. Italians often slice the bulb thinly and sprinkle with olive oil as an appetizer. If you haven't tried fennel, the following recipes will get you started with this unusual, but delicious herb.