Pollen Ranch

Secret Spice

David Rebb Firman has an unusual agricultural skill that he learned from his grandmother: He knows how to help crops become more fruitful by adding pollen. He’s also a pro when it comes to collecting wild-growing fennel, cleaning it, and extracting the pure fennel pollen.

Chefs and gourmets know all about the flavor-enhancing qualities of fennel pollen, but it’s not a spice found in a typical home kitchen. David’s on a mission to change that through his company, Pollen Ranch, which cultivates wild fennel pollen. (Don’t worry, it’s nothing like the sneeze-inducing pollen that plagues hay fever sufferers and it’s completely safe for consumption.)

Just a pinch of fennel pollen will transform nearly any dish -- seafood, beef, poultry, pork, and vegetables -- into something spectacular with its provocative blend of flavors that are reminiscent of anise, licorice, curry and saffron. Fennel pollen as a spice is more powerful and alluring than the plant itself, David says. Pollen Ranch also offers dill pollen, which likewise packs a more flavorful punch than the dill weed or dill stalk.

To complement specific dishes, David enlisted the help of award-winning chef Bernard Guillas, who created distinct fennel pollen blends designed for beef, poultry, vegetables, seafood, desserts, stir-fry, and spicy dishes. Each blend is a mighty arsenal of flavors that will keep your guests guessing about your mysterious secret ingredients.

— Ann

• The Pure Dill Pollen and Fennel Pollens are in 0.5 oz tins.  All blends are in 1 oz  tins.     
• Most people do not have an allergic reaction to Fennel Pollens.  Fennel pollen is very course and heavy compared to fine pollen that acts like dust and is floating around in the air. Fennel Pollen is too heavy to do that, so someone would literally have to snort it to get a reaction. In addition, once the pollen gets moist it becomes totally inert and therefore is not allergenic.
• To see the ingredient list of the blends, click here.