Celery with its fibrous stalks and leaves is a member of the French culinary "holy trinity" which includes celery, carrot, and onion for mirepoix. The vegetable is watery with a slight bitter flavor and hint of pepper and anise. This vegetable is a staple in American cooking.
Estimated Picking Dates: early July to September
Cleaning/Preparing: Wash celery before use, but NOT before storage unless plants are very dirty or wilted! Simply rinse in running cold water or swish in a bath of cold water. These plants are tall, so I like to cut off the top 1/3 which is mostly leaves before washing. Focus on washing base of plant where dirt likes to collect. I find running water and removing the stalks from the base to be most useful to clean all the way to the bottom of the stalks. If your celery wilts (which is common is picked on a very hot day or stored too long in the fridge), follow the salad greens washing method to revitalize. (Fill sink or large bowl with very cold or ice water. Soak celery with leaves removed in very cold water for 20-30 minutes. Shake off extra water. Refrigerate in a sealed container wrapped lightly in a damp towel to continue re-crisping.)
Wash leaves following the salad green method.
If you want to make sure your veggies are sanitized for raw eating, use the following procedure: Leafy Green Wash
1 cup distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
1-2 t. salt (optional) - enhances anti-bacterial properties
Mix the water and vinegar together in a bowl. Allow your greens to soak in the bowl for about 2 minutes, then rinse them well. Proceed with standard drying (spin or shake and roll in towel)
Storage: Removes leaves with a clean cut with a chef's knife on a large cutting board. Leaves will increase wilting rate if left attached to the stalks. Lightly sealed plastic bag (grocery bag with handles tied closed) stored in the refrigerator. Put a clothe (paper towel, tea towel, kitchen towel, T-shirt) in the bag, preferably on the bottom, to maintain humidity in the container/bag to prevent wilting. Refrigerated celery should last about a week.
Preparing: The entire plant is edible (leaves and stalks). Lay on large cutting board and slice the entire bunch at once with a chef's knife working from the top down towards the core end. Discard the end. A few stalks can be removed from the core, if you do not need a whole stalk for your recipe.
Featured Recipe: Chicken Dumpling Soup
Other common uses: I save the leaves in the freezer to use as a "roasting pan" to line the bottom of my roaster pan or crockpot when roasting meats. This imputes flavor and prevents meat from cooking to bottom of the pan. Leaves also are good for stock broth and stuffing poultry. The celery leaves are more flavorful and nutritious than the stalks and can be used like the stalks in many recipes.
Substitutes: Fennel stalk, bok choy, celeriac, cutting celery, diakon, radish
Cleaning/Preparing: Wash celery before use, but NOT before storage unless plants are very dirty or wilted! Simply rinse in running cold water or swish in a bath of cold water. These plants are tall, so I like to cut off the top 1/3 which is mostly leaves before washing. Focus on washing base of plant where dirt likes to collect. I find running water and removing the stalks from the base to be most useful to clean all the way to the bottom of the stalks. If your celery wilts (which is common is picked on a very hot day or stored too long in the fridge), follow the salad greens washing method to revitalize. (Fill sink or large bowl with very cold or ice water. Soak celery with leaves removed in very cold water for 20-30 minutes. Shake off extra water. Refrigerate in a sealed container wrapped lightly in a damp towel to continue re-crisping.)
Wash leaves following the salad green method.
If you want to make sure your veggies are sanitized for raw eating, use the following procedure: Leafy Green Wash
1 cup distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
1-2 t. salt (optional) - enhances anti-bacterial properties
Mix the water and vinegar together in a bowl. Allow your greens to soak in the bowl for about 2 minutes, then rinse them well. Proceed with standard drying (spin or shake and roll in towel)
Storage: Removes leaves with a clean cut with a chef's knife on a large cutting board. Leaves will increase wilting rate if left attached to the stalks. Lightly sealed plastic bag (grocery bag with handles tied closed) stored in the refrigerator. Put a clothe (paper towel, tea towel, kitchen towel, T-shirt) in the bag, preferably on the bottom, to maintain humidity in the container/bag to prevent wilting. Refrigerated celery should last about a week.
Preparing: The entire plant is edible (leaves and stalks). Lay on large cutting board and slice the entire bunch at once with a chef's knife working from the top down towards the core end. Discard the end. A few stalks can be removed from the core, if you do not need a whole stalk for your recipe.
Featured Recipe: Chicken Dumpling Soup
Other common uses: I save the leaves in the freezer to use as a "roasting pan" to line the bottom of my roaster pan or crockpot when roasting meats. This imputes flavor and prevents meat from cooking to bottom of the pan. Leaves also are good for stock broth and stuffing poultry. The celery leaves are more flavorful and nutritious than the stalks and can be used like the stalks in many recipes.
Substitutes: Fennel stalk, bok choy, celeriac, cutting celery, diakon, radish