Dill and fennel look very similar with their feathery fronds, and this peaked my curiosity. Do they share any other common traits? It turns out they do! They are both valued for their medicinal and flavorful properties, they were cultivated by English colonists here in Virginia, they are both members of the carrot family, they both have yellow flowers loved by pollinators, and they both fall prey to swallowtail butterfly larvae. The two plants are different in many ways, however. First, fennel is a perennial, which means it dies back in winter and grows back from the root in the springtime. Dill, on the other hand, is an annual. Once it dies, more seeds must be sown for it to grow back. Chefs use dill leaves to flavor foods like salmon, pickles, and cucumber salad. The entire fennel stalk is used in cooking, especially the base. Fennel is especially yummy in fresh salad, and has a strong licorice taste. Finally, fennel grows a bit taller than dill - up to six feet! Dill typically grows three to five feet tall. I found the information on dill and fennel at the following web link: http://herb-lady.hubpages.com/hub/Herb-Series--Dill-And-Fennel .
Here is an Epicurious link to cucumber dill salad: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cucumber-Dill-Salad-51238020
Here is an Epicurious link to chickpea, fennel and citrus salad. The recipe calls for grapefruit, but I'd substitute oranges or blood oranges:
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| The fennel is already taller than the dill, but six feet tall is hard to imagine at this early stage! |
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| Here is a dill plant. You can see how the leaves are similar to fennel. |
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