Selfsufficientish.com

something in my local woodland caught my eye the other day, and before getting excited I thought I'd properly identify it.
Happily, I found it's wild fennel. there is a small bunch in a vase in my livingroom. partly because it's so pretty and partly because it's better fresh if you're gonna shove it in the belly of a trout like I will tomorrow evening.
I have a small bunch drying in my oven too for soap making along with some buttercup flowers, dog rose, elderflower and daisies.

I am such a happy bunny today!

We use it (along with myrtle and bay) in a recipe for preserving olives. They taste so Christmassy.

Any tips on how to identify wild fennel?

It looks just like that fennel at the end of the line on all of our veg patches that goes over. Flowers like cowslip, and the unmistakable smell of fennel if you squash a stem between your fingertips.

teenage scrotes have decimated most of the plant so I'm off to "rescue" the root tomorrow on the way home from the shops.



by rescue i mean dig it up and eat it.