Fennel likes long walks on the beach and a glass of fine wine with dinner.

A few things to know about fennel:

Fennel (Anise if you’re French) is a hardy plant with ties to the carrot family. First of all, it is a VERY low calorie veggie with little fat and zero cholesterol, making it one of the healthiest choices out there. It’s high in antioxidants and and in vitamin C and has a whole whack load of fibre (that’s right, a whack load).

This popular medieval veggie was first promoted by the Romans and brought to the corners of the world they occupied. The bulb is eaten as a vegetable while the stalks and fronds are used as an herb. And whether you believe it or not, herbalists have used fennel for centuries to induce milk production in nursing mothers and help ease colicky infants with a fennel gripe water.

Watch this beautiful veggie grow from seed to full blown plant! Some even grow to be 4 ft tall!

Cooking with Fennel

You can cook fennel any way you can imagine but since it is that lovely time of year – bbq season- let’s start there.

Grilled Fennel on the BBQ

This easy recipe will have you adding fennel as a side to pretty much any summer meal and with only five other everyday ingredients, you’re sure to already have what you need to whip this up tonight.

Want to use fennel at it’s fullest fresh potential? Try out one of these great dishes that incorporate raw fennel. Green Bean, Mushroom & Fennel Salad, Apple Fennel Celery Salad, Grapefruit and Fennel Salad.

Looking for something a little more hardy? Why not try one of these comfort foods with fennel? Roasted Squash, Onion & Fennel Toss, Pulled Pork with Fennel Biscuits, Potato Fennel Gratin, Chicken Braised with Lemon, Fennel & Garlic.

Fennel is used in many Italian dishes and if you’re looking to try something tasty from the homeland of fennel itself, try out one of these: Baked Fennel Parmesan, Giant Meatballs in Tomato Fennel Sauce, Fennel Pea Risotto.