The new spice~ Fennel Powder

My friend Joy came over today and we started catching up on all things kids and gardens. She mentioned that she had visited Mario Batali’s restaurant in California and bought some fennel powder. Seems this is the new herb to flavor and spice up everything from baked salmon to roasted eggplant marmalade. It runs around $4 per jar but you can make it yourself.

I have never used the powder, but I do put fennel seed on the 12 hour pork recipe that I got form Suzanne Somers’ cookbook. So good!
If you’d like to try making fennel powder yourself you simply roast fennel seeds on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, cool and dry, grind and store in air - tight container. It will stay fresh for 2 to 3 months.
The word fennel comes from latin meaning “Little Hay”. Romans used fennel tea to relieve eye irritation and Medieval Europeans used the herb to fight obesity. Fennel can be used to help with stomach cramps, digestion problems and to help break up congestion caused by colds.
Did you know that you can freeze fennel bulbs and a whole lot of other things?

You can freeze all citrus, milk (take about 1/4 cup out of the plastic container to allow for expansion) cream cheese, butter, apples (peel and slice), shredded cheese, bananas (make sure you freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put them in a baggie so they don’t stick together) , grapes, celery, roasted tomatoes, onions and carrots. Potatoes freeze well if you slice them (maybe french fry style?) and soak them in a little salt water and drain before you freeze them. Asparagus and cauliflower are the only freezer disasters that I’ve heard of.
Thanks Joy, for the idea for todays blog!

By the way, Pantone’s 2011 color of the year is Honeysuckle Pink. Just in case you’d like to theme your garden. Bulb planting is just around the corner. It's a good idea to wait until night temperatures are consistently below 60 degrees before planting.