Fennel Harvest

Now is the time to harvest your fennel and collect the seeds and stalks for your culinary use. The seeds are invaluable for use in chutneys and preserves as well as making a delicious tea! The Romans recommended fennel tea for improved eyesight but the taste being ever so warming and licoricey  flavored is just what you need on a dark winters night!  I am already hooked!

 I dry out the stalks (hanging them upside down) for three months until they turn a grey brown colour and are then excellent for using as fuel for my smoker. The scent of fennel smoke works its magic with smoked fish and seafood alike.

To make fennel tea:

Collect up to twenty fennel seeds (fresh or dried) and place in a teapot. If you want to get as much taste as possible from the seeds you should first crush and grind the seeds up in a mortar using a pestle. However when using fresh seeds I find it sufficient just letting the seeds brew in the boiling water for five minutes and serve direct from the teapot topping up as necessary with water. One can also add sugar to taste but I find the fennel  alone is excellent.