[Gpdd] Fennel and new piggies

Penny Charlesworth piggyfriends at tesco.net
Sat Nov 3 14:49:38 EDT 2007


Hi Jaime,

I could have happily gone through life without ever encountering Fennel.

I grow it in the herb garden as an ornamental plant as I don't like the aniseed taste of it but the leaves, especially of bronze fennel, are very decorative. You need to grow it from seed as a planted bulb will bolt and run to seed.

Here's a picture of what it looks like when it is growing ( mine has been decimated by the frost ) http://www.selfsufficientish.com/images/bronzedfennel.JPG

There is a lot of herbal folklore attached to this plant. In times past it was considered a remedy for snakebite ( wouldn't want to try that one ) and plants were hung over doors to keep out witches. 

People eat it sliced very thinly in salads but mostly it is used in all sorts of Mediterranean recipes, as the flavour is milder when cooked. All parts of the plant are edible if you like that kind of thing. It can allegedly be stored in the fridge for a few days. Apparently the outer layer is tough so peel that off and try the inside. The smaller bulbs are said to be the nicest.The leaves can be used as a garnish and fennel sauce is supposed to be a good accompaniment to fish. As a vegetarian, I can't comment on that.

Thank you for the welcome to Midnight and Buttons. I have just taken some pigtures and hope that I can submit them in time for the Calendar. One day I will find the time to create a website.........so many piggies, so little time.

I hope that Mimi is getting on OK. We will all be thinking of her on Tuesday with fingers, paws and whiskers crossed.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.


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