Mother's Herb Garden Fennel

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The seeds of this versatile plant can perk up borscht, pickles, and chutney; add a sly "mystery" flavor to apple pie; and produce a pleasant anisescented tea. The firm, bulbous stem base — crisp as celery and with a faint note of licorice — may be sliced raw into salads or dipped first into olive oil and then into salt to make a crunchy hors d'oeuvre. Both bulbs and stems are savory when steamed and served with a drizzle of butter. Because the herb cuts the oily taste of fish (and is thought to aid in its digestion), you may wish to toss some dried fennel stalks onto the charcoal at a seafood barbecue. Then, before serving the seafood, top it with a dollop of butter mixed with chopped fennel sprigs and a little vegetable salt. If you bake bread, you might try lining the pan with this herb's lacy leaves, as the Italians do.

Repeated applications of cool fennel tea were once believed to restore fading eyesight, and the herb's seeds have long been considered effective as appetite suppressants. In ancient Greece, athletes ate them to avoid gaining weight, and small-fry Colonial Americans were handed "meetin' seeds" during Sunday sermons to stave off stomach rumbles. To discover whether the grains curb your appetite, gather them after they've turned from green to light brown . . . but do it before they scatter in September, or this invited garden guest may brashly take over the whole plot.

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