Athmar Park fennel plants help clear eyesight and the air: Kenny Be's Hip Tip

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and stored it in the hollow stalks of Athmar Park fennel to free mankind from the brutish ignorance of the gods. Today, the plant grows wild in the yards of neighborhood bungalows and is eaten raw as a natural treatment for glaucoma and to control flatulence...

As illustrated in the Denver Neighborhood Seed packet shown above, Athmar Park Fennel is a hardy perennial herb with feathery leaves and a swollen bulb-like base that looks like a cluster of 1950s ranch-style bungalows packed on a long, curvy street.

The bulb, foliage and seeds of the Athmar Park fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions from around the world -- from Italian meatballs to French absinthe and Tom's of Maine Antiplaque Natural Toothpaste.

Athmar Park fennel is said to be one of the plants disliked by fleas, and Denver dog lovers have learned to place fennel leaves around dog beds to drive away fleas.

Find the Denver Neighborhood Seed Company Seed Packet for your neighborhood: 16th Street Mall Swiss Chard, Alamo Placita arugula, Baker green peas, Bear Valley Watercress, Belcaro broccoli rabe, Berkeley broccoli, Cheesman cucumber, City Park celery, Clayton sweet potato, Cole pole bean, Congress Park cauliflower, Country Club cabbage, East Colfax okra, Elyria-Swansea heirloom tomato, Five Points beets, Hale kale, Highland Hops, Lincoln Park Asparagus, Mar Lee sweeties cherry tomatoes, Marston crookneck squash, North Capitol Hill carrot, Park Hill pumpkin, Ruby Hill habenero, Sloan Lake purple pop top turnip, Stapleton Brussels sprout, Sun Valley horseradish, Sunnyside sunflower, University Hills parsnip, Valverde tomatillo, Wash Park condo corn, Washington Virginia Vale watermelon, West Colfax kohlrabi, Westwood zucchini, and Windsor cantaloupe.