Cut the seed heads while they are still green and dry them somewhere safe if you want to cook with them. I use the fronds and on some plants which make larger bases, on pork, lamb, in vinaigrettes, tastes great with fresh cilantro, citrus juice, fish sauce, and oil. Also with lemon grass, really on and in anything, but I love fennel and anise. Fennel is not as pungent as anise, a bit more subtle, but has a nice rounding effect, like coriander.

My Greek family used to make baked fish (plaki) with a tomato sauce topping. The basic recipe always contained canned tomatoes, a bunch of chopped up green onions, thin lemon slices, and an assortment of herbs. The one herb my mom & grandmother always used was fennel fronds. Fennel grew wild in vacant lots in LA when I was growing up. I have fond memories of foraging with them as a young girl. Here's the recipe: Plaki (Greek Baked Fish) A simple, colorful, and flavorful baked fish casserole. Perfect for guests and family! 6 fillets firm, fleshed fish such as cod, red snapper, etc. (approximately 2 pounds) 1 bunch green onions, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces 1 can diced tomatoes (14 ounce) 2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced ý cup fresh parsley, chopped* ü cup fresh mint, chopped* ü cup fresh basil, chopped* (fresh oregano, dill, or fennel fronds may be substituted) 2 lemons, thinly sliced (remove seeds) ü cup olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Rinse and dry fish. Brush a baking pan with olive oil. Place fish in pan. Heat frying pan and add olive oil. Sauté green onions, garlic, parsley, mint, and basil in oil. Add canned diced tomatoes. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Pour tomato mixture over fish. Cover fish with lemon slices. Bake uncovered at 350ð for 25-30 minutes until fish flakes with fork. Serve with roasted potatoes or rice. *If fresh herbs are not available, feel free to substitute 1 tablespoon dried herbs for each ü cup of the fresh.

Pork Roasted the Way the Tuscan Do This is a wonderful and easy technique for pork roasted inside a baguette with wonderful fresh herbs and of course garlic and olive oil! I'm sure this will become a favorite of yours too - it's great to bring on a picnic lunch! 2 teaspoons fresh chopped sage 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon fennel pollen 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed 1 loaf crusty baguette On a work surface, mince the sage, rosemary, pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and fennel pollen together. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cook the pork, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Roll the pork in the herb mixture and set aside. Cut the baguette in half the long way and scoop out the soft insides. Brush the inside of the baguette with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place the pork on the inside of the baguette so that the pork is completely enclosed. Trim off the excess ends of the bread. Tie, at 1 to 2-inch intervals, with kitchen string. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Place the pork on a baking sheet and roast until done, 155 to 160°F when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, let rest 10 minutes. Remove the strings and cut into slices. Serve. Serves 4 Here is a link that might be useful: Tuscan Pork

For the seed just cut off the dead flower heads and dry them. The seeds will come off just by scrunching in your hands. They go well with anything porky. Also fishy. But I’ll try any herb in any dish. (Except maybe peppermint!) Don’t be bound by rules. Traditional combinations are tried and tested but there’s no reason not to experiment. Bronze fennel doesn’t have a bulb. If you dig it up you’ll find a tough, stringy tap root. I don’t use it because the leaves and seeds provide all the fennel flavour I need. The root and stems are too tough to use as a vegetable but can also be used for flavour. And digging up the root means killing the plant, so no fennel next year, although it also self sows.