National Fresh Celery Month

By: CP

Happy spring and happy April! It’s a brand new month, so get chopping these next few weeks with National Fresh Celery Month! Not only is it low in calories, celery is high in water content, dietary fiber, and even vitamin C. This crunchy vegetable is a smart choice for snacking and cooking, at any time of the day. To celebrate National Fresh Celery Month, we felt it would be beneficial to share simple recipe tips on how to enjoy and pack flavor to this veggie. Most importantly, this blog includes useful hacks on how to buy, store, and even freeze your celery so it can stay fresh and so you can reduce your impact on food waste!

Buying, Storing, and Freezing, Oh My!

Buying

If you decide to add celery to your shopping list this month, it is important to know what to look out for when buying this to prevent any food waste. Whether you’re at a grocery store or you’re at your local farmer’s market, be sure to choose crisp tightly formed bunches of celery, without yellow leaves or brown spots. They should have medium-thick ribs that are crisp enough to break easily, avoid rubbery feeling stalks!

Storing

Now that you know the secrets to finding amazing celery in the produce section, let’s discuss how to store it in your home! Although you might be storing this produce in a cool dry cupboard, it is best stored in the fridge as the celery could go limp. If you run or have ran into this issue, do not throw them out, we have a solution! To revive soft celery, simply soak it in ice-cold water for 20 minutes. To really make use of your celery, try to store them in a jar submerged in water, and seal with a lid or plastic wrap. Change out the water every other day, and when you’re ready to eat, simply remove from water and rinse. This helps this green vegetable to be crisp and fresh for up to 2 weeks. Here’s an extra food waste hack, you can even store your carrots in a jar submerged with water as well to extend their life-span for up to 1 month!

Freezing

For long-term storage, did you know celery can be frozen?  Freezing celery is an easy way to reduce food waste in the kitchen, and with a little effort, you can have frozen and flavorful celery to add to your favorite recipes. It isn’t often that you use a whole bunch of celery at once, so instead, cut it up and freeze the extra. To help slow the enzymes that causes lost flavor, color and texture, try blanching your celery before freezing it.

Blanching is a cooking process in which you you soak your veggies in boiling hot water, and then plunge it or run it under cold water. If you plan on using your celery in less than 3 months you don’t need to blanch it at all, simply trim the top and bottom, cut up your celery into your desired shape, and store in a ziplock bag with the date in the freezer! It is important to note that frozen celery cannot be eaten raw, but goes great in cooked dishes like soup and stew. If you want celery to last longer in the freezer, go ahead and blanch it before freezing. This will maintain the frozen celery at a higher quality for 9-12 months. This easy hack will save you money and reduce your impact on food waste!

Retrieved from: www.gardeningknowhow.com

Easy Recipes and How to Use All of Your Celery

Back in your kitchen, your celery sticks are screaming for something else! Take celery beyond peanut butter sticks and cocktail drinks. While you may like filling your celery with peanut butter and raisins, there are other delicious fillers. Try seasoned cream cheese, chicken salad, hummus and even avocado! If you’re looking to add celery to a dish, this veggie adds delicious flavor and compliments many soups. When combined with the right ingredients, celery can be a stunning addition to a dish. Sliced celery dressed with light vinaigrette, grapes and walnuts make an excellent salad. Don’t forget the celery leaves, toss them into your salad too!

Check out this website for more recipes that incorporate celery:

http://s/view/536/1/National-Fresh-Celery-Month.html

It is important to always make the most of any food you get. Did you know celery leaves can be used as seasoning? Fresh or dried, finely chopped celery leaves are a great substitute for herbs or parsley. Want to reduce even more food waste? The white base of the celery can actually be composted! Not only that, you can even regrow celery in your own home. Simply take the celery base and place it in a dish with 1/2 inch of water and place it on a windowsill or somewhere it can revive sunlight. Once the roots of the celery grow about an inch long, place the celery into potting soil or directly in your garden. Regrowing veggies is such a great way to make the most of your food!

Incorporate Celery this April!

As we begin this month of April, try integrating celery into your next meal and make the most of it! If you try a recipe or regrowing your celery, use #NationalFreshCeleryMonth to share on social media.

Edited by: MG