Fennel, the foodie vegetable. Anise flavored, with fern-like foliage. Perhaps a little intimidating, but worth getting to know! Add a fresh crunch to spring salads, roast or braise to add a certain sophistication to your everyday menus 🙂 The internet is a great place to research new flavors and recipes. Type in “fennel recipes” and find tons of responses that can take your meals from Mediterranean (shaved parmesan or green olives) to Asian (plums and honey/ginger dressing). We tend toward “pantry” recipes, meaning those that use ingredients that we already have on hand, rather than those that need a special trip to the grocery store. With that, we offer Barley, Fennel and Beet Salad, which we had last night with grilled lamb chops. We switched out the almonds for walnuts, which we had on hand. Delish!