Edible fennel, belonging to the carrot and parsnip family, has the texture of celery with a faint flavor of anise. Used extensively in Italian cooking, the vegetable can be eaten raw or sauteed. Both the bulb and fronds can be used.
Fennel grows easily and also produces many seeds which are also edible and can be dried for use as an herb. Be sure to give the plant room to grow, a mature plant can have a 6″ wide bulb with deep tap root.
The image above is an actual image of one grown in my garden.
