How Long Will Fresh Fennel Last In The Fridge?
If you're on the hunt for a vegetable that will give you a lot of bang for your buck, look no further than fennel. The plant's aromatic fronds, sturdy stalks, and hearty bulb can all be used in a wide variety of applications from roasting the bulbs for a tasty side dish to using the fronds to season Mediterranean recipes. It's a shame to let such a versatile ingredient go to waste, which is why it's so important to store it properly. Doing so will keep your fresh fennel good for up to 10 days, but it will take some preparation first.
Because the different components of the fennel plant are so unique, it pays to separate the different elements of the plant and store them individually. Start by chopping the white bulb off of the leafy green stalks. The bulb can be stowed directly in your refrigerator's crisper drawer, but keeping it in an airtight bag or container will increase its shelf life. As for the stalks and fronds, if you plan to use them within a few days, you can keep them in water outside of the fridge. Otherwise, slice off the fronds, store the stalks with the bulb, and stow the fronds in a dry container. It's important to keep the fronds as dry as possible, so wrapping them in a paper towel is a beneficial extra step.
Freezing fennel
If you want to keep your fennel for longer than 10 days, you can always freeze it. Simply remove the bulb from the plant and put the stalks and fronds in a freezer-safe plastic bag. These parts should stay good for around three months. The bulbs are a bit more difficult to freeze — you will need to blanch them first, which involves quartering the bulbs and boiling them for one minute before quickly transferring them to ice-cold water. Afterward, the blanched bulb pieces can be frozen in a freezer-safe bag for up to half a year.
While your refrigerated fennel should be completely safe to eat for up to 10 days, you should still keep an eye out for any sign that the plant has gone bad. Brown discoloration, mushy spots, and a bad smell are all indicators that the fennel is past its prime and should be thrown out. But, as long as you buy fresh fennel to start with and follow the proper storing procedures, your fennel should be good for adding a bright, licorice-esque flavor to meals for over a week.