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Herbs - Australia

Fennel or dill?

17 years ago

Hi there, a girlfriend gave me a plant, said it was dill, I have looked for pictures but cant tell the difference, they both seem to have yellow flowers and ferny like leaves, mine is ready to pick I think, hasnt yet flowered but has large white stem type bulb under it. I reckon its fennel,can you help.

Featured Answer

gardenerkev79

12 years ago

Bunnings Hardware is a large chain hardware/nursery store in Australia (this is the Australian forum) in the town I live in, and in many others around the country, they have put all the smaller nurseries out of business, thereby monopolizing the entire market, if they don't sell it, we can't get it. I meant no offense to anyone and to be honest can't even see how anyone could misconstrue the meaning of my message to be in any way offensive. apologies if they did.

Comments (9)

andy_sa
17 years ago
Fennel has an anise smell/taste.
Daisyduckworth
17 years ago
To distinguish Dill from Fennel: The leaves are more delicate than fennel and the seeds are flatter and thinner. The taste test is also quite reliable - fennel has that liquorice-y, anise-y taste and smell.

Dill and fennel will readily cross-pollinate, and fennel is usually dominant.
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gardenerkev79
13 years ago
it's virtually impossible to get fennel here for some reason, it's terribly frustrating, it's one of my favorite vegetables and a key ingredient in my fennel and chorizo risotto, stupid bunnings put the other nurseries here out of business too so if bunnings doesn't sell something there's nowhere else to go to look for it.
Globerover_hotmail_com
12 years ago
to: gardenerkev79,

It appears to me that you're using 'bunnings' as something which is only familiar to you, since such a word is not present in the Merriam Webster dictionary.
You may explain 'your meaning', if wish to do so, yet
please refrain to use impolite language since your 'printing' may be read by many people, and come as rude.
Tha's all

Stay well
gardenerkev79
12 years ago
to further explain - as this is the Australian forum section I assumed that mostly Australians would be using it and most Australians would have known exactly what I was referring to.
troy_kenah_net
12 years ago
Ha ha...that's funny. I think that GlobeRover is not living in Australia :-) Strange though that people would assume you're using impolite language rather than just something they don't understand...flaming galahs! :-P

I often get Fennel root from my local green grocer (Marrickville Metro, Enmore, Inner West Sydney)...but I think you're probably looking for something to actually plant?

Troy
largelyhappy_hotmail_com
12 years ago
That's given me a real laugh - assuming Bunnings to be offensive language - it's funny how some people always think the worst, isn't it?

I used Dill in the UK, it's the main ingredient of gripe water (and no, that's NOT water that you take if you want to gripe!) but my sons are grown up now.
If you run the feathery leaves of the plant between thumb and finger and it's scent is like aniseed - it's Fennel and the bulb under the earth is edible.
Foodtomax
12 years ago
I enjoy both fennel and dill. I often graze on them as I walk around the garden. I find that the nephews and nieces great nephews and nieces love to chew on fennel seeds when the seeds are quite young on the umbril and very sweet. At this stage the seeds also have a lovely mouth texture.

To me fennel has an anise taste while dill has an earthy taste.

Cheers Max

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