Fennel can be eaten raw in salads, if sliced thinly, but it's a little tough to chew. We prefer it cooked in soups and stir-fries. We use the leaves to flavor fish. The seeds are used in sausage, breads, and Chinese cuisine. In the garden, the umbel flowers attract beneficial insects .
Harvest Florence fennel before the stems flower, or the bulbs will be tough. Latin name: Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum. Also known as Finnochio. Native to Italy. height 30"