Fennel harvest with Larry Kandarian

Learn about fennel pollen farming with rocket engineer turned regenerative farmer Larry Kandarian. Larry has decades of experience farming a wide range of grains, beans and herbs. He has a special interest in ancient grains and one of his main cash crops in fennel pollen.

Fennel is a perennial herb from the Umbelliferae family, known to have antibacterial, antiviral properties, great for gastrointestinal issues and detoxing. The pollen is high in B vitamins and trace minerals . All parts of the plant are medicinal but the pollen is typically used for its flavour. A small amount packs a lot of flavour but will have little medicinal value due to the small amount used. It’s used to finish pork and chicken dishes and some Italians use it on margarita pizza. In this video, I used it to flavour chocolate mousse and it also makes a great panne cotta.

It is a resilient plant, grows like a weed in California and requires very little water. Larry used sheep to weed and fertilize his fennel crop. No herbicides or pesticides needed.

Larry shared his process on instagram: @thekandarians and I hope to bring you more Larry wisdom throughout the year.