SFist in the Kitchen: Fennel

We fell under this vegetable's spell long ago (as opposed to the Fennels on Veronica Mars, which are more recent faves) and we're happy to see it back at area markets, where it should stay until May. You might also spot anise, which one farmer tells us has smaller bulbs and bigger fronds, but you probably won't find fennel's close cousin hemlock. If you're harvesting the wild fennel scattered about the Bay Area, avoid the lookalikes with purple splotches at the base; those are hemlock.