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Fennel for the Fourth of July

Posted on July 4th, 2008 – 8:35 AM
By Jaime Chismar

You’ve had a tea party, sent an army of Red Coats packing, and signed your John Hancock to the crib sheet of modern day democracy. What’s left for a patriot to do? Why, eat some fennel — of course!

Fourth of July is not only a celebration of our independence from The Crown, but a summer celebration of our gardening successes. No grilled meat/meat-alternatives would be complete with out a treat from the garden.

This year, I’m serving up my greens, parsley, fennel and maybe a few strawberries (keep your fingers crossed) in super-food super-salad. I’ve earmarked some scapes for a little saute. There’s also three kinds of mint for mojitos (I’m skipping the Brandy Alexanders this year… they go down a little too fast and smooth).

However you choose to celebrate this three day weekend, take a moment to admire all your hard work. Your digging, planting and mulching has made something amazing. And, tomato time is right around the corner!

Happy Fourth of July!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 8:35 am and is filed under Greens + Lettuces, Herbs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 Responses to "Fennel for the Fourth of July"

Sandra says:

July 4th, 2008 at 9:18 am

Mmm, fennel. I didn’t think of that, I’m definitely growing that next year.

Besides Mojitos, have you made “Lawn Boys”? Frozen limeade, fresh mint, and vodka, blended until it looks like a glass of fresh-cut grass. Very summery.

Jane says:

July 4th, 2008 at 10:34 am

Lawn Boys sound excellent, and I have fresh mint this year!
However, fennel is very difficult to grow in MN. I tried for 3 summers without luck. Well, maybe 1 or 2 grew large enough to harvest and eat. I love it — ate it for years in Italy with salt, oil, and vinegar.

Can you share the secrets to MN fennel growing success??

Robyn Dochterman says:

July 4th, 2008 at 10:36 am

I am growing fennel for the first time, but have no idea when or how to harvest it. Help!

Jaime Chismar says:

July 6th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

Jane — This is my first year growing fennel. I started a few plants indoors and planted a row right outside. As you can see from the photo, my transplants are doing great. The row sown directly into the soil was a failure. I only got one or two sprouts.

Despite my fennel success, I can not grow a beet to save my life!

Chris says:

July 7th, 2008 at 10:42 am

Ahhhh BEETS.

I grow beets every year and they do well. BUT this year we have a deer that thinks a itty bitty beat sprout is better than the bean field across the road. Soak the seeds in warm water over night, and then plant. It will help with germination.

Jaime Chismar says:

July 7th, 2008 at 4:31 pm

Great tip, Chris. I will try soaking next year. It worked great with nasturiums.

Robyn, you can pull fennel anytime you’re ready for a fennel fix.