What to Do When You Find Giant Fennel Bulbs in Your Garden

What to do when you find three giant fennel bulbs in your garden you forgot to harvest? When they are smaller, the fennel is yummy in salads. But the big ones are better when cooked. One of my favorites is to steam them together with potato and mash everything up - mashed potatoes with a twist.

But I was fresh out of potatoes and roasted vegetables are my second go-to fast meal.

You might remember this picture - @javier arturo pulido andueza  had shown me his typically Venezuelan breakfast and I was so hungry for black beans - it was the perfect time to combine those with the roasted vegetables.

Here is how I did it. Very simple and easy to do and always tasty. The only drawback is that the oven has to be on and that can make the house too hot in the summer.

First, I washed the outside of the fennel bulbs and cut off the greens. I used some of the greens for tea, chopped some fine to mix with other greens, added a little bit to a green smoothie and the rest went to the chickens.

After slicing the bulb, I thought for a hot minute about discarding the solid inside. In a younger bulb, you don't see that. But I decided against it and figured I can spit it out if it is too tough to eat - one of the advantages of eating alone 😂 

Next, I washed the cut bulb in case some critters had made themselves a home inside the bulb. While in theory, I believe in the idea that we all need to eat insects instead of meat from animals higher on the food chain, I am not quite embracing bugs in my food just yet.

I drained all the veggies well - as you can see, I added carrots- they always are so sweet and delicious.

For roasted vegetables - and that includes oven-baked fries - it is a good idea to completely dry the surfaces with a kitchen towel. It allows the oil and spices to stick to the surface and will make the end result so much tastier.

Whenever you make a pan of roasted vegetables, it is a good idea to take a quick look in the fridge and see what else needs to be eaten. Here, I found half a bulb of celery and cut it up quickly to add to the mix. 

Next, I added spices and a spoonful of oil. It just takes a tiny bit of oil to coat everything when tossing. The red powder you see was intended to be mild paprika but I grabbed cayenne pepper instead. I was surprised when I took my first bite and felt the spiciness in my mouth but decided that it was a positive and next time, I will use the Cayenne intentionally. Sometimes, mistakes improve the end results.

I divided the veggies into two pans so they could be in a single layer. Then baked them at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. The best is to stir them up a couple of times during the roasting process and take a taste after 20 minutes to see if they are done to your liking.

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