Fennel is a multi-purpose herb. It looks

A beautiful addition to any perennial herb garden, fennel has thick, 5 to 6 foot tall stems, feathery green or bronze foliage and impressive rays of tiny, umbel-shaped yellow flowers.

Fennel attracts butterflies, beneficial insects, and birds.

You will find many varieties of butterflies visiting your fennel for its delectable nectar. This herb is also a favorite host plant for ladybugs and other beneficial garden insects. TIP: The dried plant is an insect repellent.

When fennel starts to go to seed watch for tiny zesty-spirited songbirds such as the Bushtit. These feathered friends visit for the seeds and to gobble any insect that dare to venture onto the plant.

NOTE: If you plan to use the seeds yourself, be sure to collect them before the birds do. Maybe you can plant extra, and then you both are able to enjoy this fruit.

Fennel tastes great, contains medicinal properties. It contains iron, histidine and amino acids These elements are useful in the treatment of anemia. And,

A tea made from fennel seeds is widely used for relieving gas, dyspepsia, stomachache, and colic, for children and adults alike. Mothers drink it to increase the flow of breast milk.

In the past I have grown both green and bronze fennel but now I grow only green because their flowering heads provide me with one of the best culinary ingredients there is.

The stems and delicate leaf can be used throughout the year, they are wonderful when scattered over a whole fish or alongside a joint of pork or lamb and pair up incredibly well with fresh lemons, garlic and shallots.

Fresh or dried fennel can be used in so many ways that I am never without some. I use them in risotto, pasta, curry, potatoes, soup, compound butter, stocks, stuffings, the list goes on.

Raw and sliced thin,  bulb adds a bright crunch to salads and slaws, and it’s especially good when combined with citrus and olives.

There are three common types of fennel to grow:

• Sweet Fennel – Height: up to 6 feet. Grown for its licorice-flavored seeds and leaves.
• Bronze Fennel – Height: up to 6 feet. Striking for use as an ornamental. Especially effective as a perennial. Zone: 4 to 9
• Bulbous,  or Florence fennel – Height: about 2 feet. This type is more the annual type and grown for its enlarged stalk which resembles and anise-flavored succulent celery bulb. It can be eaten raw as a salad herb or cooked and served with oil, butter or sauce.

Fennel is easy to grow. They prefer full sun and a well drained soil. They will do best in rich soils.Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Add a general purpose fertilizer once or twice a season.

Seedlings do not transplant well, so broadcast seeds directly in the soil in late spring.

Fennel readily reseeds itself and unwanted seedlings should be removed before developing long tap roots that will be difficult to pull up. Sow in succession to maintain a continuous harvest of leaves and seeds.

Harvest leaves as at any time. Harvest flower heads after seeds have formed and the flower head has died. Extract seeds and dry them in a cool, dry location.

Harvest bulbs when they reach tennis ball size or bigger. Pull every other one out as needed to allow those remaining to grow even bigger.

Do not pull these plants up in advance of the first frost. They are very hardy and should continue to thrive and grow, even after a number of hard frosts.

Want  to know more  about fennel & fennel recipes?

Then, go to the post titled “Try Your Holiday Food With Fennel…” or post your question below.

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Yours truly, Polly – Organic Gardener

Studies show that growing tomatoes has a great physical and mental healing property. Tomatoes

*1.   Physical Activity For Your Body & Mind

Growing tomatoes is physical activity which is very beneficial. And, it is mentally beneficial as well because it is a release for emotions and creativity.

Growing and tending your own tomatoes is a powerful stress reliever.

*2.   Gives You A Sense of Accomplishment & Raises Your Self-Esteem

Planting tomato seeds, watching it grow, tending to its needs, and harvesting the fruits of your labor can do wonders to gain a sense of accomplishment and raise self- esteem.

*3.   Allows You To Stay Healthy

Eating more fresh produce is one of the most important things you and your family can do to stay healthy. When tomatoes are grown in your backyard, you won’t be able to resist them. Their vitamin content will be at their highest levels as you bite into them straight from the garden.

If you grow your own tomatoes, you are more likely to eat them within a few hours of harvesting. This means there will be a greater number of nutrients in them, and therefore in you.

A greater number of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals will boost your immune system and help expel harmful free radicals from the body (free radicals attack the body’s cells, and can lead to the development of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s).

*4. Gives You a Chance to Enjoy Better Taste & Flavor

Fresh tomatoes is the best food. How long has the tomatoes on your supermarket shelf been there? How long did they travel from the farm to your table? And,

Comparing the flavor of a homegrown tomato with the taste of a store-bought one is like comparing apples to wallpaper paste. If it tastes better, you’ll be more likely to eat the healthy, fresh produce that you know your body needs.

*5.   Helps you to stop worrying about food safety

With recalls on peanut butter, spinach, tomatoes and more, many people are concerned about food safety in our global food marketplace.

When you responsibly grow your own food, you don’t have to worry about contamination that may occur at the farm, manufacturing plant, or transportation process.

This means that when the whole world is avoiding tomatoes, for example, you don’t have to go without—you can trust that your food is safe and healthy to eat.

Eating fresh, well ripen, juicy and tasty organically grown tomatoes free of pesticide and herbicide has its own distinctive health benefits, especially for children.

*6.    Makes You More In Tune With Nature

Growing tomatoes brings you closer to nature and helps to lead a healthier lifestyle.

*7.   Allows You To Take Advantage of Cancer-Fighting Antioxidants

New research suggests that antioxidants taken as pill-form supplements do not provide the same benefits of antioxidants within foods.

It is far more beneficial to eat a tomato–you receive a great dose of cancer-fighting antioxidants through this fruit–than to take vitamin A pills.

Look to whole foods, including fresh ripe tomatoes, as your primary source of nutrition. You’ll stand a much better chance of avoiding cancer this way.

Also, since tomato’s main carotenoid, lycopene, is fat-soluble, make sure you eat tomatoes with olive oil or other good fat.

*8.  Helps You to Fight Heart Disease

Potassium helps prevent high blood pressure and lessens the chance of having heart disease. A single serving of tomatoes–about 1 cup–provides more than 10 percent of your daily nutritional need for potassium.

Tomatoes are considered a “very good” source of potassium by the Whole Foods Food Rating System.

*9.   Promotes a Healthy Colon and Prostate

The antioxidant lycopene found in tomatoes is especially successful at fighting against colon and prostate cancers. The combination of the antioxidants as well as the other nutrients in tomatoes work together to provide these incredible benefits.

This team also works against breast cancer, and cancer of the lung and pancreas. When tomatoes are in season, eat them daily for a good dose of cancer prevention.

*10.   Reduces Blood Clots and Inflammation

Drink fresh juiced tomato beverages (bottled is second-best) to help with the reduction of blood clots and to help reduce inflammation.

The vitamin C and beta-carotene (vitamin A) in tomatoes are excellent antioxidants and they work to eliminate free radicals in the body that contribute to cancer-friendly conditions and painful inflammation.

One study showed that people who drank 8 oz. of tomato juice daily showed reduced platelet clumping in their blood. Those who drank a placebo had no such improvement.

*11.  Supplies Your Body With Potassium & Dietary Fiber

Potassium in tomatoes is an essential mineral that helps regulate blood pressure and aids muscle contractions. It may reduce the risk of kidney stones and bone loss.

Fiber can aid digestion by preventing constipation.

Want  to know more  about growing tomatoes?

Then, post your question below.

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Yours truly, Polly – Organic Gardener