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Fill the World with Fennel

Fill the world with fennelโ€ฆat least thatโ€™s what Godโ€™s plan feels like in our summer garden! Our few fall seedlings and winter tufts have grown and become a forest of smokey foliage and gentle golden flower crowns that mega-dazzle! Enamored by the multitude of dawn-hued flowers, I have gathered a few Words reflecting Godโ€™s desire to fill the world with the knowledge of Him, His wonderful counsel and magnificence that Isaiah recounted (Isaiah 28:29). Take these verses to the abundantly blooming flowers in your summer garden for a sweet memory of your own with the One who plans to fill you with His love.

Home » Garden Design » Fill the World with Fennel

by Shelley S. Cramm In: Garden Design, Garden Recipes on Jul 29, 2021

Fill the world with fennelโ€ฆat least thatโ€™s what Godโ€™s plan feels like in our summer garden! Our few fall seedlings and winter tufts have grown and become a forest of smoky foliage and gentle golden flower crowns that mega-dazzle! I am in awe that this cool season annual is still with us. Our dill, celery, carrots, and parsley plantsโ€”the full range of herbs and spices with umbrella-shaped flowersโ€”are long gone in summerโ€™s sizzle. Have you had a plant surprise you this simmer with mesmerizing presence? There is nothing like it! Add yours to the comment section below and inspire all of us for next yearโ€™s garden planning.

How did I decide to grow fennel? Captivated by God-crazed curiosity, I tend to stick to Bible species when choosing new plants for our yard. Most translations of Scripture do not name fennel, and none of my favorite resources on plants of the Bible include fennel in their plant lists, though the spice is native to the Mediterranean region.

However, a special family story led me to dig deeper into this flavorful umbel herbโ€ฆarenโ€™t our gardens a sweet collection of our unique family sagas?? Grandmaโ€™s iris, dadโ€™s boysenberries, cedar saplings from a friendโ€™s cabin in the woodsโ€”our gardens become living, botanical scrapbooks holding holy connections to the ones we love.

Choosing Fennel

It all began with a salad. My mother and I had an amazing opportunity to visit New York before the corona, and a meandering walk through Little Italy one evening landed us at Amiciโ€™s for dinner. My mom order the Tri – Colore salad, a mix of bitter herbsโ€™ radicchio and endive, topped with a surprise ingredient, sliced fennel bulb. She loved the salad, the evening, the trip togetherโ€ฆfilled with cherished chats, layered with memories of her childhood trip to New York with her mother and grandmother. Once home, she promptly recreated the salad for my stepdad, her way of capturing and sharing the treasured time together, increasing the love.

bronze fennel leaves make rose-colored vinegar, delicious for salads

Amiciโ€™s salad inspired me to try making fennel-infused vinegar, which turned a lovely rose color from the bronze fennel leaves. Click here for easy directions on Making Herbal Vinegars for Salads from Ann McCormick, Herbโ€™n Cowgirl

You must know my motherโ€™s passion when she discovers a delicious recipe. Itโ€™s enthralling! Her zeal for herbal ingredients has infused my whole life with pursuit of such fresh tastes. Mirroring her enthusiasm, I planted fennel โ€˜smokey bronzeโ€™ last fall, hoping to serve her a homegrown version of our New York salad, a fun way to continue our adventure.

Then I stumbled upon it: a chance mention of the old world herb in the Amplified Bible translation.

When he has leveled its surface, does he not cast abroad [the seed of] dill or fennel and scatter cummin [a seasoning], and put the wheat in rows, and barley in its intended place, and spelt [an inferior kind of wheat] as the border?  [And he trains each of them correctly] for his God instructs him correctly and teaches him. Isaiah 28:25-26 AMPC
compare fennel varieties for bulb v. no bulb
Fennel bulb on the left is enjoyed freshly sliced or cooked – make sure to plant ‘Florence’ that will grow a bulbous root. ‘Smokey Bronze’ stalks are on the right, producing beautiful, delicious leaves and seeds but no bulb.

O Lord, what greater joy! It is a small connection; and of course, we are free to plant any plants in our gardens. Yet how much more endearing to connect plants to Godโ€™s Word, to find some Word or phrase that seems to describe our sensational experience and place it in the context of Godโ€™s story.

Fill the World

Enamored by the multitude of dawn-hued flowers, I have gathered a few Words reflecting Godโ€™s desire to fill the world with the knowledge of Him, His wonderful counsel and magnificence that Isaiah recounted. Take these verses to the abundantly blooming flowers in your summer garden for a sweet memory of your own with the One who plans to fill you with His love.

When they shall rush in unto Jacob, Israel shall blossom and bud, and they shall fill the face of the world with seed.  Isaiah 27:6 DRA

fennel flowers gone to seed showing their umbel patterns
Let flowers go to seed; fennel seeds are the usual way to enjoy fennelโ€™s flavor, the signature spice of Italian sausage and a secret zest for your pasta sauce

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, โ€œBe fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.   Genesis 9:1 NIV

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.  Psalm 81:10 MEV

โ€ฆas surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earthโ€ฆ  Numbers 14:21 NIV

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas.  Habbakuk 2:14 MEV

You will know Christโ€™s love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.  Ephesian 3:19 NOG

All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent. Isaiah 28:29 NIV

coffee cake with ground fennel leaves in place of cinnamon
Try this with the hint of sweet, licorice-like flavor of fennel leaves: Replace the call for cinnamon in your favorite coffee cake with dried, ground fennel leaves. So tasty!!!!

You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, theyโ€™re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings. Isaiah 9:3 The Message

Hereโ€™s the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth. Acts 1:8 VOICE

Make sure that no one misses out on Godโ€™s wonderful kindness. Hebrews 12:15 CEV

Prayer: O Lord, how wonderful you are! Down to the details of lacy leaves and pinpointed fennel flowers, in and through the intricacies of my day, my heart, and my family life, You know me. And how I long to know you back! Thank you for your Words that teach me, guide me, instruct and delight meโ€ฆ.and thank You for all the flowers You use to bring me back to your Words when I lose focus. Yes, Lord, let your loving-kindness fill the world. Energize my hospitality so that through me You make sure no one misses out on your wonderful grace.

detail of 'smokey bronze' fennel leaf
New leaves on ‘smokey bronze’ fennel have a deep bronzy-purple hue and offer a rich, eye-catching contrast in the garden
renees garden seed packets

Reneeโ€™s Garden Seeds is my source for โ€˜Smokey Bronzeโ€™ fennel seed, Foeniculum vulgare var. Visit www.reneesgarden.com/fennel-smokey-bronze (affiliate link) to order seeds for your fall garden

Garden in Delight gate logo

Find more Herbs & Spices from the Bible for your garden in the Garden in Delight Plant Guide, www.gardenindelight.com/plant-guide/

U is for umbels drop cap

Learn more about the Bibleโ€™s Umbelliferae herbs in a light-hearted poem โ€œU is for Umbelsโ€ from A-to-Z Primer of Plants from Godโ€™s Word

God's Word for Gardeners Bible in herbs

Enjoy another Devotion on Isaiah 28:23-29 in โ€œHe Knows,โ€ in the Intimacy with God in the Garden series in Godโ€™s Word for Gardeners Bible, page 795

Photo Credits: ยฉ2021 Shelley S. Cramm

Scripture References

CEV notes Scripture quotations taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright ยฉ 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

DRA denotes the Douayโ€“Rheims Bible is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by members of the Catholic seminary English College, Douai, France. It was first published in America in 1790 by Mathew Carey of Philadelphia. Several American editions followed in the 19th and early 20th centuries; prominent among them the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition Version. This edition of the text has been converted from the 1899 edition of the John Murphy Company, Baltimore, Maryland, and is in the Public Domain.

KJV denotes Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version published in 1611, authorized by King James I of England, which is public domain in the United States.

MEV denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright ยฉ 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.

MSG denotes Scripture quotations taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright ยฉ 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.

NIV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Versionยฎ, NIVยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.ยฎ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The โ€œNIVโ€ and โ€œNew International Versionโ€ are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.ยฎ

NOG denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Names of God Bible copyright ยฉ 2011 by Baker Publishing Group, 6030 East Fulton Road,  Ada, MI 49301. All Rights Reserved.

VOICE denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Voiceโ„ข. Copyright ยฉ 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rose Naomi

    July 29, 2021 at 12:09 pm

    I am always thankful for your Bible-based plantings in word and soil, my friend!
    I found that the Aramaic Bible in Plain English has ‘fennel’ in at least one verse … Isaiah 28:25 “Is it not whenever he levels its surface, he scatters the fennel, and he sows cumin, and casts wheat and barley and rye at its borders?” Have you other references?
    A little history/science lesson I gleaned off the internet- “Fennel Seed FENNEL (Foeniculum vulgare)Fennel seeds were often carried to church in small pouches and eaten to ward of hunger during long sermons and thus gained the nickname meeting seeds. Fennel seeds and syrup are often used to calm the stomach, perhaps making meeting a little quieter.”
    Do you suppose this is so???? ๐Ÿ™‚ Blessings dear Sister!, You are in my prayers! Rose Naomi

    Reply
    • Shelley S. Cramm

      August 25, 2021 at 4:31 pm

      Well, I do find the seeds very tasty!! I guess our ancestors did, too!! Thanks so much Rose, take care!!

      Reply
  2. Charlotte

    July 30, 2021 at 9:31 am

    Thank you for sharing โ€˜ourโ€™ story..such a fabulous, memorable trip to NYC! And yes, that salad made a huge impression on me and have shared it with not only my husband but many friends upon return. I often use sliced or chopped fennel bulb in soups & stews but have been delighted with raw fennel in salads. And now to know it truly is one of Godโ€™s Bible plants! Should have known.๐Ÿ˜Š

    Reply
    • Shelley S. Cramm

      August 25, 2021 at 4:30 pm

      Thanks, mom!! So glad to share you with all our God’s Word for gardening friends ๐Ÿ™‚ Much love!

      Reply

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