Fennel is an amazing plant

Fennel is a two-and perennial herbaceous plant of the Umbilical family , reaching 1-2 meters in height. Even in ancient Rome it was used as a seasoning and medicine for many diseases. Fennel differs a bright aroma and has a pleasant sweetish taste.

In appearance, fennel, the photo of which is presented in the article, resembles dill: it has a straight stem, with whitish coating, feathery leaves with filiform lobes. The flower is a complex umbrella of bright yellow color. Fruit is a two-seeded with a sweet taste. The root is fleshy, in the form of a spindle. Flowering begins in the middle of summer and lasts until September.

Grass fennel (from cultivated species) is divided into common (Voloshsky dill) and vegetable (Italian), with a more fleshy powerful stalk. Both of them are well known to Russian farmers.

Ordinary fennel is a medicinal plant, which Avicenna and Hippocrates used in their medical practices. In modern medicine, he also found its application. Infusion of this herb is an excellent expectorant and is used for coughing. Essential oil helps to improve intestinal motility and activates the excretory system of the kidneys. Fennel tea is an excellent diuretic that complements medicines in the treatment of urolithiasis, and also increases lactation in nursing women. Water, prepared from plant seeds, is used as a carminative agent in the treatment of flatulence in infants. Roots are used as a laxative. Broths are used to treat colds. In addition, the flavonoids and vitamins contained in the plant will help cope with the blues and ward off the danger of autumn-winter depression due to shortage of heat and sunlight.

Vegetable fennel is a herb that is successfully used in cooking. In food you can eat all parts of the plant. Its seeds and foliage are used as flavors for workpieces for the winter. They serve as an excellent decoration in salads, first and second dishes, as well as in the preparation of lemonades and infusions. Baked or stewed bulbs are an excellent light side dish to meat dishes. But the most advantageous combination of taste of fennel with fish: cod, flounder, halibut, haddock. If you use it with ginger when extinguishing it, they will further emphasize the taste of your dishes.

It should be remembered that every day the aroma of the collected grass loses its brightness, therefore fennel bulbs, like its greens, should be used in the first 3-5 days after cutting. If this is not possible, the greens can be wrapped with food film and stored in the refrigerator. When buying on the market, it is worth paying attention to the quality and freshness of the grass. Young, freshly cut bulbs are dense, light, with the aroma of anise.

Fennel is a real natural storage. The plant includes such important for the human body trace elements, like iron, zinc, chromium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, copper.