How to cut a fennel bulb

An eternal challenge for some people subscribed to our CSA has been the fennel bulb: how to cut it, how to cook it . . . why do we grow it?

I love fennel. It has to be one of the most aesthetically-pleasing veggies in our fields and at the market stand. And its scent and flavour is outstanding -- the anise added to a meal is a treat. Some customers tell us their children like eating fennel raw.

To aid in the fennel challenge for those new to this vegetable I photographed my lunch preparations yesterday and offer this tutorial on cutting fennel

A beautiful bulb of fennel ready to be used.

The first cut down the middle.

You can see the inner core -- it'll be removed after quartering the bulb.

The second cut to quarter the bulb.

Now you can see the inner core -- it gets cut out with an angled slice.

The quartered bulb, core removed.

And then what to do with the fennel? I coated these in egg and bread crumbs and then fried them. They went very nicely with some lemon juice and mayonnaise.

Other ideas: roast them with salmon or white fish (like halibut), add it to fish stock for chowders, roast it with other seasonal veggies like zucchini, potatoes and beets, or shred it and add to coleslaw.