Finally, after numerous sowings, bolting and slug attacks i have results, only problem after the third sowing i stopped keeping notes on sowing date, so not sure which month sowing time gave me this result :-\. hmm might have been early July ::).
tasted yum though and more to follow ;D.
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk187/thifasmom/IMG_0730.jpg)
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk187/thifasmom/IMG_0731.jpg)
is it fennel? excuse my ignorance how did you cook it?
WOW that's impressive. :o I love Fennel. ;D
G x
Quote from: debster on September 30, 2008, 17:26:19
is it fennel? excuse my ignorance how did you cook it?
yep its fennel. we are not big fans of it raw and much prefer it cooked either lightly in stirfry type dishes or roasted as i did last night with a late tennis ball courgette and kohl rabi, with herbs parsley, red spring onion, whole garlic cloves slightly crushed, fresh oregano, olive oil, soy sauce, freshly crushed black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste, roasted covered till courgette was cooked through then grilled for a quick five minutes to enhance the roasting colour.
Quote from: Georgie on September 30, 2008, 17:26:35
WOW that's impressive. :o I love Fennel. ;D
G x
Hi Georgie, thanks, I'm pretty impressed myself ;).
im not certain i have tried it but sounds good must give it a go , it has an aniseed flavour if i remember correctly, my daughter loved fennel baby drink
Wow, well done, know some people who would be very jealous... ;D
Quote from: coznbob on September 30, 2008, 17:44:31
Wow, well done, know some people who would be very jealous... ;D
Me for one. I wish I'd been round at Thifasmom's house for dinner last night. ;D
G x
Well done
are you wearing a German helmet and about to say " Very Intresting "
thifasmom - well done, mine (the ones that survived the armed assaults by slugs etc) were pencil thin and basically unsuccessful. I love fennel and plan to try again next year, but would love to know if you have any tips or info
1066
NOW I'm really jealous! I've had successes in previous years but this year was a disaster - grew Rudy and ANOther....neither of which bulbed up. And I love my fennel in the summer :'(...ah well, next year, eh?
And just couldn't resist another peek.....WOW!!!
Wish mine would bulb up, it's pathetic. I'd like to know your secret :) :) :) :) :)
That's a great specimen Thifasmom, mine are coming along but nothing near as big as that, what feed did you give them. ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: debster on September 30, 2008, 17:42:04
im not certain i have tried it but sounds good must give it a go , it has an aniseed flavour if i remember correctly, my daughter loved fennel baby drink
yes it definitely has an aniseed flavour a bit to strong for our taste when raw and defiantly if home grown the flavour is even more intense :).
thanks everyone for your admiration but i honestly didn't do anything special to them. last year i grew them for the first time on a whim as i got nine plants off of eBay and had a 60% success, so decided to try them this year from seed. as you know from my previous post lots of failure before this success and i can only believe it was due to the later sowing. if memory serves me correctly i think i got the plants last July as well, so maybe i will just have to stick to July sowings for an autumn harvest, would love to have them during the summer, but i know a compromise when i see one and may stick to the later sowings next year for a guaranteed crop.
Quote from: cornykev on September 30, 2008, 20:36:24
That's a great specimen Thifasmom, mine are coming along but nothing near as big as that, what feed did you give them. ;D ;D ;D
this lot were grown in a space that was first enriched with homemade compost in spring then planted up with early lettuce. prior to sowing the fennel i incorporated a little blood, fish and bones feed which i do whenever a crop has to follow another during the growing season... so nothing special.
And did you sow the fennel seeds straight into the ground or did you start them off indoors first?
Duke ~~ bootiful fennel by the way !! ;D
I grew fennel a couple of years ago but never had a result as impressive as this. I heard that the best day to sow fennel was the longest day - would you say that was right or do you think later is better?
Quote from: KathrynH on September 30, 2008, 21:38:32
I grew fennel a couple of years ago but never had a result as impressive as this. I heard that the best day to sow fennel was the longest day - would you say that was right or do you think later is better?
well i have never heard of this but you maybe onto something, i can't remember when i sowed this batch, but i think it was somewhere in the first/ second week of July. the early sowing grew spectacularly but bolted, even though i watered them religiously and planted them in a semi shady bed. where as this lot was planted in a sunny spot, were kept well watered once they sprouted till the rains came in august then they were left to their own devices.
last year was also quite wet so maybe it was all the rainfall that did it, who knows I'm just happy to finally get a crop ;), but i won't look a gift horse in the mouth i will stick to the later sowings and hope for a repeat :-\.
well done - i went on holiday and mine bolted!