THE ANISEED WEED

THOUGH FENNEL IS A FAMILIAR SIGHT IN SOUTHERN EUROPE, ITS HERBAL AND ORNAMENTAL QUALITIES ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED HERE

Words Jennifer Stackhouse

Fennel isn’t on every gardener’s radar but, as an attractive and very tasty vegetable that’s reasonably easy to grow, perhaps it should be. Though very popular in the UK and Europe, it’s not often seen in Aussie backyards. One reason might be that common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare) is regarded as a weed, often growing in wastelands or on roadsides where it forms a tall, leafy plant. The fennel that’s a star in the vegetable garden is better known as Florence fennel (F. vulgare var. azoricum), the form grown for its swollen white stem base (often referred to as a bulb) that has a crunchy texture and slightly aniseed flavour. A more compact variety than the weed, it grows to only around 30–40cm high. There are many named varieties of Florence fennel, all…

You're reading a preview of

Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 14.6

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.