NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Wild fennel, a local edible, is in full bloom everywhere, and that means it’s time for me to gather fennel pollen and seeds, as well as some fragrant stalks. I spotted a fine stand on North Kelly Road, but it is everywhere. The hillsides between Napa and Sonoma have large stands stretching along the roadsides and plenty of places where you can pull over and stop to harvest.
If you’re not familiar with wild fennel, look for tall plants, up to 4 feet, with feather green fronds and heads made of clusters of small yellow flowers, like dill. Unlike cultivated fennel, it doesn’t form a bulb. It is native to the Mediterranean and adapted easily here to our Mediterranean climate.
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