Eat Your Fennel

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I can remember back to a time that I just didn’t get the appeal of fennel. This course, stringy, strongly scented vegetable didn’t seem worth the trouble to cook. But now I can honestly say that it is among my very favorite vegetables. I fully realize that there are many of our CSA members who still don’t “get” fennel, and if you are among these, you simply must try Jeanne’s recipe for roast fennel and onions. The key is to cook it long enough and to use enough olive oil so the fennel doesn’t dry out. When the fennel and onions become soft on the inside, and carmelized on the outside, the combination is sublime. This was one of my step-father’s favorite dishes when he came to visit us on the farm, and is one of mine as well.

Why learn to like fennel? Aside from the fact that your CSA farm grows fennel, and you are therefore confronted with it several times a year, it is a vegetable that offers good nutritional benefits. According to the FDA, it is an excellent source of vitamin C, and a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, folate, and molybdenum. The website the World’s Healthiest Foods says that fennel contains unique phytonutrients that make it a strong antioxidant. One phytonutrient particular to fennel, called anethole, has been shown in animal studies to reduce inflammation, help prevent cancer, and protect the liver from toxic chemical injury. In addition, fennel’s high vitamin C content offers antioxidant protection and immune support. Its high fiber can help reduce cholesterol and improve colon health, and the good potassium levels can help lower high blood pressure.

Here are some other ideas for using your fennel. While you’re cooking up the bulbs, you can chop the leaves and add them to your salad, and give the stems to kids to chew on if they are clamoring for snacks right before dinner. (I actually chew on them myself if I find myself getting too hungry when I’m working on dinner.)  Andrew Cohen uses minced fennel in a “soffritto” with onions, carrots, and celery, to freeze and have on hand for a quick start to any meal. If you are a meat eater, he also pairs fennel with lamb, in a recipe that looks absolutely delicious.

We grow lovely fennel, which as a Mediterranean vegetable seems to really like our cool coastal climate. So, please enjoy your fennel–it’s a taste worth cultivating.