Foeniculum vulgare or F. officinale (usually called common or wild fennel) and Foeniculum vulgare dulce (called Florence or sweet fennel or finocchio) are members of the Apiaceae (parsley) family.

Fennel is a tall, hardy, aromatic perennial of the parsley family native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean area, especially in the vicinity of the sea. It is distinguished by its finely divided, feathery green foliage and its golden-yellow flowers. The spice, fennel seed, is the dried fruit of the common fennel. It appears somewhat similar to celery and is often confused with dill.

There are several varieties of fennel. Both the common and the sweet fennels are grown for the "seed" and the essential oils. The "seed" is used as a spice in cooking and the essential oil is used in condiments, soaps, creams, perfumes, and liqueurs. The sweet fennel is also grown for the thickened bulb-like base of the leaf stems (sometimes called bulb anise). These make a 3 or 4 inch wide structure just above the ground. Fennel plants grown for the bulb-like base only grow 2 to 3 feet tall. The seeding types of fennel will grow 4 to 5 feet tall.

Current production and yield. India, The People's Republic of China, Egypt, Argentina, Indonesia and Pakistan are the worlds' main fennel production areas. In California, in 1987, the County Agricultural Commissioners reported fennel (listed as anise) grown in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz counties. Monterey County was the only one reporting actual figures. It reported a total production of 2,560 tons on 215 acres with a total value of $1,052,000. The yield was 11.9 tons/acre with a price of $411/ton.

Use. The fresh leaves and tender leaf stems of sweet fennel are used as a boiled vegetable, and sometimes raw in salads or with other vegetables. The flavor of fennel is like that of anise or licorice. Unlike dill, the drying of the foliage is not recommended. It is a little too sappy for success and by the time it has dried, most of the flavor has been lost. Treat the flower heads the same way as dill, sun-dry for a few days, shake the seeds loose, and store in air-tight containers.

Fennel is a pungent herb, slightly similar to dill when fresh, but not at all when dry. It varies in its qualities for cooking -- the best being the Florentine sweet fennel, if the bulb is needed. For the foliage and the seeds, the best fennel is found in the Mediterranean, although it grows wild in California, it is probably a little too moist here. It is very good for digestion, which is why it is oftentimes used with pork and sausages in Italy. It is also the favorite herb with suckling pig and wild boar, dishes dating back to Roman times -- when it was used a great deal. It has been used as a flavoring for drinks for centuries, sak, mentioned in Shakespeare was flavored with fennel. Use with salads, use the bulb in stews and with chicken, fish, pork, beef, and cheese. Complementary wines are dry whites or Italian reds, depending on the dishes' ingredients.

Climatic requirements. Cool weather is best for the growth of fennel. Temperatures of 70° to 75° F are preferred.

Propagation and care. Propagate by seed in spring or autumn. Plant in medium to light, well-drained soil in a sunny location. Fennel thrives on well drained loam soil. It grows well in mild temperate climates. For the seeding types of fennel, drill seed (half inch deep) in rows one and a half to three feet apart. Thin to 6 to 12 inches apart in the row when the plants are 3 to 4 inches tall.

Fennel is generally grown as an annual or biennial. Yields of the fennel "seed" are low in the first year but increase in the second. Typically the "seeds" mature in the fall of the second season. The umbels do not mature evenly so several harvests will maximize yield. When the fruiting umbels turn brown they are ready for harvest and should be cut promptly to prevent shattering. Machine harvesting, drying, and threshing may be possible but there will probably be much shattering loss and mixing of mature and immature seed.

Bulb anise should be thinned to 10 to 14 inches apart when grown on 40 inch beds with double rows 12 inches apart. Anise prefers acid soils, pH 5 to 6.8.

The edible leaf base becomes fully mature in about 80 days but it is edible as soon as it begins to fatten.

Fennel prefers frequent irrigation for rapid growth. Moisture stress will cause splitting of the basal stalk.

Pest and weed problems. Fennel is a poor competitor with weeds. Aphids can cause severe damage in fennel.

By Curt Robinson and Claudia Myers, University Extension and UC Small Farm Center respectively.

Reviewed by Richard Smith, Farm Advisor, San Benito County, 12/22/89.

Reviewed by Harry Agamalian, Farm Advisory, Monterey, County, 12/27/89.

Captions:

Figure 1. Fennel plants grow 3 to 5 feet tall. It is grown both for the "seed" and for the bulb-like base of the leaf stems. (Photo by Vince Rubatzky).

Harvest and postharvest handling. Harvesting, cleaning, trimming and packing of the bulb, or finnochio fennel, is done by hand. Care must be taken to ensure a high quality fresh pack. The foliage should be dark green and fresh in appearance and the stalk and bulb a lighter greenish-white. Harvest just prior to flowering. According to Morales (1991) commercially the top foliage is removed by cutting or "topping". The rest of the plant, including the bulbs, roots and some foliage, is transferred from the field to a storage location where the roots are removed. finally the bulb, with some foliage, is cleaned of soil, washed and stored.

After harvest store the bulbs at 32-36 F (0-2C). At the retail level the bulbs are sold individually and may be wrapped in plastic. Market demand and price are based on bulb size, shape, and visual appearance. The bulb should be firm and free from insects and discolorations.

Many varieties (cultivars) of finnochio fennel have been developed for different locations and climates. They also differ in terms of bulb shape, size, firmness and time to maturity. A variety trial was conducted with 16 fennel cultivars in 1990 in Indiana (Morales, 1991). Plants were spaced in single rows three feet apart. They found that the variety "Zefa fino" had the highest yield of bulbs (452 lb/1000 square feet), the largest bulb circumference (8.1 inches) and the latest flowering dates. No other cultivar even came close in terms of yield or lateness of flowering.

James Simon at Purdue University, believes that domestic production of fennel for the seed as a spice probably won't occur because demand is small and supplies from overseas are adequate. He states though that there is excellent potential for domestic production of finnochio fennel for the bulb.

In 1990, Monterey County reported a total produciton of 6,600 tons on 466 acres, with an average yield of 14.2 tons/acre and a price of $505/ton. The total value of production in the state for 1990 was reported to be $4,052,900.

Simon, J.E. 1990. Essential oils and culinary herbs. pp. 472-483. In: Janick, J. and J.E. simon (eds). Advances in New Crops. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Morales, Mario; Charles, Denys; and James Simon. Cultivation of Finnochio Fennel. The Herb, Spice, and Medicinal Plant Digest. Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1991. University of Massachusetts.

7/20/92