Pickled Florence Fennel

Name: Pickled Florence Fennel
Yield: makes three to four 8-ounce jars
Ingredients: Salt; 2 1/4 pounds fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced, a few feathery fronds reserved; 4 1/4 cups cider vinegar; 1/2 ounce peppercorns (black, white, or pink); 1/3 cup granulated sugar; Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon; 3 or 4 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon celery or fennel seeds; 3 to 4 tablespoons olive, hempseed, or canola oil

January 24, 2012

Season: June to early July. Tall, willowy, feathered sweet Florence fennel, with its creamy-white, bulbous bottom, has to be one of the most alluring vegetables to grow in the garden. It’s not easy to cultivate in every soil, but if it likes your particular situation, you should be able to grow plenty to use with gay abandon in the summertime, with some left over to preserve for later in the year. It’s only really worth making this pickle if you have a supply of freshly harvested bulbs when they are pale green and tender. All too often, the imported stuff is yellow and coarse. You have to discard much of the outer bulb, and it certainly isn’t worth the expense or trouble of pickling. This lovely light pickle is delicious with smoked or oily fish and in winter salads. It nearly always makes an appearance at our Boxing Day lunch.

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