Is celery worth it?

[pjn]

cleaning and wrapping with a paper towel then in aluminum foil helps it keep about 6 weeks, sometimes a little longer if really fresh to start out, without going bad in the crisper.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

cleaning and wrapping with a paper towel then in aluminum foil helps it keep about 6 weeks, sometimes a little longer if really fresh to start out, without going bad in the crisper.

Wow! That's taking it to another level

 

[so lucky]

Sometimes celery seems to keep forever, wrapped in that method. But sometimes it doesn't. Maybe it was too damp or still had dirt on it. I have been leaving the leaves on it. Do you suppose, @pjn, that the leaves cause it to go bad faster?

 

[pjn]

Have not noticed any difference with or without leaves.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

It would make sense that they'd go bad faster with the leaves, but I guess that'd be good to test side by side.

 

[catjac1975]

Home grown celery does not last long once picked.

 

[digitS']

Smells like celery, same genus and species.

Homely, ain't it?

Steve

 

[digitS']

What's wrong with the celery yo?

Just a few words from someone who likes good celery. Apparently.

Steve

 

[barefootgardener]

[/ATTACH]

This is my second year growing celery, and it is definitely worth it to me. I grew out Tall Utah Celery, and Chinese Celery, from seed that I started in late winter. I planted the seedlings out in the early spring, in well composted raised beds. I planted each seedling about a foot apart. As the seedlings grew, I would pile soil/straw along the stems. This is called blanching which helps prevent the stalks from turning bitter. I made sure to give them plenty of water. I was so busy with the farm and garden that I stopped blanching the stalks as they grew during the mid summer. Ooops! I forgot..But, the celery stalks grew up and out and helped shade each other for the most part. I would take and cut off a few stalks here and there, as I needed for salads etc.. They tasted crisp, and the stalks that had the most shade tasted a tad sweeter, while a few stalks that were on the outside that had more sun tasted just a bit stronger. The Chinese celery definitely had a stronger flavor..While they sprawled out a bit, and did not look perfect like store bought, I was still very happy with the results. I use every part of the celery including the stalks, leaves and the seed after the Chinese celery flowered and went to seed. I ground up some of the Chinese Celery seed and stalks/leaves after it dried and turned it into a powder for stir fry, soups and stews etc.. The aroma is amazing, it has a beautiful, strong, fresh celery scent and I already used the celery powder in some potato salad and soups. I think it would be great with a pinch in deviled eggs or scrambled eggs.
Here is what I learned and what I will change and experiment with for next season: Blanch and wrap the stalks with newspaper and twine after the stalks are close to a foot tall. This will help keep the stalks from turning bitter (or just pile some soil or cardboard around the plants. If you plant your celery close enough together, sometimes the inner celery will give enough shade..Plant the seedlings in a very well composted bed that has been amended with lots of well rotted manure. Celery are heavy feeders. Fertilize as needed. Water well all summer, and make sure the planting bed drains well so you don't have to deal with rot and disease. (Keep in mind, the wrapped celery will be a bit lighter in color than celery that is not wrapped. The greener celery will contain more nutrients.)
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To preserve a fall crop just pull up the whole plant, roots and all, and place in a very deep box with moist sand or clean soil around the roots and store in a cool place, like an unheated basement. The celery should last a few months.
To keep in the refrigerator temporarily: wrap celery in foil, then put in a plastic bag.

When I get busy and I need to have celery close at hand for cooking that week I have picked a whole stalk and placed it in a bucket with cool water touching the bottom base. I bring it inside and put it in a shady cool spot to use as I needed that week. The whole stalk and leaves will stay fresh and green for at least a week this way. I will also freeze the stalks and leaves in quart size or gallon size bags to use in soups, stews and for roasting with meats during the winter.

As an experiment, I will cut some of the celery stalks down to just above the base, leaving the top and the roots, cover well, and mulch the beds deeply with straw. I hope the celery base/roots will survive the winter and start to grow in the coming spring. We shall see.. Fingers crossed.

 

[barefootgardener]

We had hail and strong winds yesterday. Also had a chance of heavy frost, so I picked some celery really quick to bring in and store in the fridge. You can see the different size in the stalks. No problem for me as I use them up anyway regardless.