Vegetables and How I Cook Them: Fennel

For years there has been a movement toward eating whole animals—respecting the animal enough to eat all parts (organs, bones, and secondary cuts) with as much gusto as the prime pieces. There is less urgency around whole plant consumption because vegetable production is less energy-intensive than animal protein, and carrots don’t have the same emotional capabilities that cows and pigs do.

That said, there is good reason to prioritize eating all parts of vegetables. One, it is more economical. Getting two or three meals out of a plant instead of one, you’re saving money, energy, and time. Two, the flavors are different throughout the plant, and by consuming all of it, you get to taste those subtle differences. Three, we waste a tremendous amount of food in our food system. By demanding (and using) all parts of the plant, consumers have the power to mitigate that waste and divert it from landfills, easing the volume of greenhouse gasses entering the atmosphere—just by eating dinner.