Adrienne,

The mushrooms are fine to eat dried (my favorite is Shiitake).  Fennel 
is in the same family as parsley, carrot, celery, dill, etc.  The bulb 
(mostly below ground) and stalks are often used in cooking (e.g., soups, 
entrees) and the seeds are used to spice and as a digestive (carminative). 

Regards,
-=mark=-

Adrienne Smith wrote:
> Anyone know if dried Maitake mushrooms are ok to eat straight out of the bag 
> without reconstituting in water first?  They have a great texture and I love 
> the unique Maitake taste.
>  
> Also, is fennel considered sweet/starchy vegetable like onion?  I can't 
> figure out by looking at it in the store if it's grown above or below grownd.
>
>
>
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