I planted a little fennel this year. (I always have to plant at least one thing I haven't tried before!) Anyway, it is doing fine, but I have no info on how to can it, or for that matter even how to serve it, except as a steamed vegetable, which may be the answer. Anybody got any experience here? Thanks!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), September 18, 2000

Answers

Growing up with an Italian mom we had fennel quite often. It was usually in a salad. Cut the bulb in half and slice thinly, add tomatoes, lettuce and Italian dressing (I prefer the homemade version with lemon juice instead of vinegar). Lovely!

-- Monica (c.decollibus@ocsnet.net), September 18, 2000.

Fennel is part of my head-sinus cold tea blend; three heaping spoons of peppermint, one of dried ginger root (ours comes crushed into pieces), and one half of a spoonful of fennel seed in a teapot. Pour in boiling water, let steep until strong enough for your tastes, sweeten with honey or a bit of sugar. Drink, and keep the tissues close by. It helps for some migranes, too.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), September 18, 2000.

Another typical italian (in the part I live anyways!!)salad is with fennel and blood oranges sliced ... drizzle with olive oil and salt . You can also make a really nice creamy velevety soup .... fennel bulb, potatoes, an onion or 2, salt, a carrot if you like ,chop it up , boil , and blend ... if you like you can add some cream or milk . And to give it that gourmet look garnish with beautiful feathery fennel leaves. grind some black pepper on top as well .

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), September 22, 2000.

Fennel seed is a great way to add flavor to many things. I use it on pizza.

-- Terri Miller (tchr4hm@juno.com), September 23, 2000.

Fennel has an extrodinary range of uses from medicinal to flavoring, my favorite way to use it is in Chicken Orzo(pasta) soup, you can use any standard chicken soup recipe but here are a few suggestion: start with a mir poix (I may be spelling this wrong, it is the French word for celery, onions and carrots sauted, it's the foundation for all soups, stews and some sauces) substitute fennel for celery about half a large stalk, slice stem to root and diced small, I also substitute diced leeks for onions, it's important to slice any vegatables stem to root beacause it provides better over all taste in your cooking, start with cold extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot, add leek and saute till white end is almost clear, then add diced fennel and saute till soft you want to "burn off" some of that licorice smell, then add diced carrots to this mix, proceed with any chicken soup recipe from here, this also works well with white beans as a vegetarian soup, P.S. If you keep your cooked orzo(pasta) seperated and add it to the soup just before serving the startch from the pata will not thicken you soup. Also remember to save the fronds from your fennel, you can use them to season something else or as a garnish for your soup.

-- Cybele (Belecurve@yahoo.com), September 25, 2000.