Forence fennel, a wonderfully ornamental vegetable, is grown for its swollen leaf bases or bulbs and edible leaves. When using in salads, the flavour can be improved by slicing the bulb and putting it in a bowl of water and ice cubes in the fridge for an hour. Steam, grill or boil the bulbs and serve with cheese sauce or butter; infuse the leaves in vinegar or add as garnish to salad.

Delicious. Florence is a wonderful heirloom variety with good old-fashioned taste. Their delicate flavor lends them to inclusion in many dishes, both fancy and simple. They can be grated or slivered raw into salads, diced or sliced for inclusion in soups, casseroles, and stir-fries.

The tender stems and leaves can also be used in soups or included with other wild and garden offerings for a mixed saut of greens and onions. The whole bulbs can also be split in half or quarters, depending on the size, and steamed, braised, or even lightly broiled. They make a tasty and elegant side dish, which can be dressed up with a light mustard or hollandaise sauce, if you must.

Those people who live in the cool coastal fog belt can grow and enjoy fresh fennel all year, while those in the snowy mountains will have to content themselves with a spring and fall crop. Those of you that live in the hot summer zones of Northern CA and restrict your gardening to summer time will miss out on this lovely delicacy.

Seeds can be sown directly into garden when soil is warm or started in containers and transplanted when several inches tall. Zones 3-10 All seeds are packaged and for the current growing season. Please see my other seed listings