Tutorial: How to Preserve Wild Fennel.
In Southern Italy, the quintessential wild herb in cuisine is undoubtedly wild fennel.
It gives an unmistakable flavor to foods. This aromatic plant can also be enjoyed as an infusion to benefit from its beneficial properties.
It is an ingredient I use a lot to flavor my dishes, and I often collect it in the countryside near my home and around the Ganzirri lakeside.
But like any wild herb, it suffers from drought, so it appears dry in many months of the year.
Then it’s up to us to know how to preserve it, in various ways we know, depending on how we intend to use it.

Thought for you:

Cost: Very economical
Preparation time: 2 Hours
Cooking methods: No cooking
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Region: Sicily
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring

Ingredients

Tutorial: How to Preserve Wild Fennel

7 oz wild fennel
7 oz extra virgin olive oil

Tutorial: How to Preserve Wild Fennel

Tools

Jars
Blender / Mixer
Plastic Bag
Grater

Tutorial: How to Preserve Wild Fennel

Wild fennel is a spontaneous plant in the southern regions. You can find it in the fields, or more recently, given its sought-after use, even for sale in organic stores or supermarkets.
You must wash it several times, then leave it to soak for 20 minutes, and then rinse it again.
After draining it, place it on a cotton cloth, and let it dry for 2 hours.
If after a while you see that the cloth has soaked, then change it or flip it over.
The first preservation method I present to you is oil-based: Put the desired amount of wild fennel inside your food processor and add enough EVO oil to allow your machine to blend.
This depends on one machine to another.
Once you have achieved the desired creaminess, stop the machine, and…
With the Thermomix, I first used speed 5 then gradually increased to 10. Until I saw the desired consistency from the hole.
Transfer the obtained mixture into previously sterilized glass jars.
At this point, decide
1st option, if you use the fennel within 3 months, you can store it in the fridge.
2nd option is to transfer the fennel pesto into an ice cube tray, then into the freezer and use as needed.
3rd option, you can sterilize the jars for 30 minutes in boiling water, in this case or the first one, once the jar is opened it must always be kept in the fridge and consumed within 1 month.
Moreover, every time you take a little pesto from the jar, consequently, the oil level decreases, then you have to add a little more, to prevent the mixture from oxidizing, as with any oil-based preserve.
The other preservation method, the one without oil, proceeds as follows: Put the fennel in a freezer bag, remove all the air, and place it in the freezer. The next day blend it, and you will get a powder, which you will collect.
and put it back in the same bag, squeezing it well to form a single mass, a sort of ball.
So every time you need it, you just have to grate it like cheese, and then put it back in the freezer.
This procedure is most suitable for herbal teas or for those who want to use fennel during low-calorie diets.