Fennel. A relation of celery which flowers in summer. When young it has an appearance rather similar to dill, but when crushed, the leaves give off the familiar anise scent of fennel. The flowers are yellow, umbelliferous and produce elongated aromatic seeds. Fennel should not be grown close to dill as they will hybridise and produce useless seedlings. Baby leaves can be used whole in salads or laid on fish for cooking. Also known as Florence Fennel, the swollen stem is cooked as a vegetable. The aniseed flavour of stems, leaves and seeds makes it a perfect partner for pork, chicken or fish. Italians favour the male, flatter fennel bulb, which they call "maschi". May also be dill.
