Wild Fennel

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theplayingmantis

Original Poster:

4,603 posts

92 months

Sunday 30th July 2023
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Been meaning to post for a while but keep forgetting but now laid up for a week so have plenty of time to spout nonsense.

Been doing some serious walking in June and July around the coast and keep comimg across wild fennel. Any one have good uses for it?

I quite like fennel in small doses but not a massive fan. HGW has some suggestions. Using it in BBQ beach fire with fish as a ookimg medium (protection), is good, any others?

Bit late as rapidly going over the top but still perfectly useable.

21TonyK

12,087 posts

219 months

Monday 31st July 2023
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Love braised fennel with fish or pork but one of the best uses I found is by collecting the flowers and drying them to create a poor mans fennel "pollen" which I used to pay a fortune for as a garnish to use on fish dishes. In reality, its probably the same and I was just getting ripped off at the time!

theplayingmantis

Original Poster:

4,603 posts

92 months

Tuesday 1st August 2023
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21TonyK said:
Love braised fennel with fish or pork but one of the best uses I found is by collecting the flowers and drying them to create a poor mans fennel "pollen" which I used to pay a fortune for as a garnish to use on fish dishes. In reality, its probably the same and I was just getting ripped off at the time!
wild fennel is more stalky than 'bulby' from whats ive seen so think a bit tough for the typically uses of florence (?) fennel, but interesting about the pollen as a garnish - laid up currently so not walking but assume its gone over the top already.

also came across lots of salsify (which when i've had in restaurants along with scorzonera (spelling?), has been delicious) but was too pretty flower and hard ground pull up for the roots.

Silvanus

6,478 posts

33 months

Tuesday 1st August 2023
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I use lots of wild fennel, the stalks for cooking on right through to harvesting and drying the seeds. Loads of ways to use it, but if you aren't keen on the flavour it's tricky to come up with good suggestions. Can be used to flavour spirits if you fancy trying something different.

As for pulling up the roots of plants to eat it's worth reading up on foraging rules as uprooting wild plants is not allowed without landowners permission and has landed people in trouble.

theplayingmantis

Original Poster:

4,603 posts

92 months

Tuesday 1st August 2023
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Silvanus said:
As for pulling up the roots of plants to eat it's worth reading up on foraging rules as uprooting wild plants is not allowed without landowners permission and has landed people in trouble.
i know i am that soldier...re mushrooms, salsify is considered a weed however and invasive i think and on the sea wall i dont think harvesting some would have been an issue for anyone