You bought celery and used just a little bit. Now, what about the remaining celery? Obviously you’ll think of storing it for later use. Tastessence tells you how to store celery along with keeping its freshness and crunchy flavor intact.
Celery Trivia
- Hippocrates, a Greek physician, gave celery as a medicine to soothe nerves.
- In Portage (Michigan), the Celery Flats Interpretive Center is a celery museum.
- In the early 19th century, celery farmers established the town of Celeryville.
Celery is a plant that is commonly used as a vegetable for its crisp leaf stalk. The leaves are used minimally, with soups making use of celery for its flavor. The stews also use the dried herb. Celery is considered as the low-calorie, crunchy vegetable, which is also used in salads apart from soups. Apart from that, celery is used for medicinal purposes as well. It is always associated with lowering blood pressure, so it is not advised for low BP patients. It also helps in weight loss, constipation, kidney function, etc. Some people can be allergic to celery so it’s better if you understand the signs your body will give after eating celery.
Celery should be really crisp and crunchy when you want to use it in salads. Following are the methods to keep your celery crisp and fresh for a few weeks.
Ways to Store Celery
Aluminum Foil
Cut off celery leaves
Wrap celery (stalks) in an aluminum foil
There are various ways to store it in a foil. You can normally wrap the foil, or wrap the celery in a dry paper towel and then in a foil, or else wrap it in a wet paper towel and then use a foil. All of them work.
- First, wash the celery thoroughly.
- Cut out the celery leaves because they will rot fast and rot everything eventually.
- Wrap the celery tightly in a foil, leaving no air inside.
- Keep it in the fridge.
Dry Paper Towels in Plastic
Storing celery in dry paper towels can be done in various ways. It can be done by just rolling it in a plastic bag, wrapping in a dry paper towel and then in a plastic bag, or else wrapping it in wet towels and then placing it in the plastic bag. These methods keep the celery very fresh and crisp, with no wilting. Washing and cutting of the leaves is required before enveloping celery.
Tupperware
A rectangular tupperware could be used to store celery. Keep it with water and remember to change the water if you want it to remain for several weeks. This method can be used when you want to preserve chopped celery as it will fit in the tupperware.
In Water
Cut off the bottom and keep the whole bunch in a glass of water. Keep the glass in the fridge. The leaves can go in the bag with other vegetables. This celery will last for quite a long time if you keep changing the water. The celery will be fresh and crisp. It would be great for short-time preservation purposes.
Freeze it
- Wash the celery properly and cut it. Separate the leaves.
- Blanch the stalks in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Remove the stalks and immerse it in ice water.
- After it has cooled down, drain and put it in a Ziploc bag. Remove as much as air as possible before sealing the pouch.
This is a method to preserve the celery, but the celery wouldn’t be crisp. This method can be used when you’re using the celery for cooking
Tip Time!
▶ In case of celery, you can plant its sprouts and get fresh celery at home. It grows very fast.
▶ If the celery is wilted, soak it in ice water before serving.
If you use any other preservation method for different vegetables, you can try that method with a small portion of celery. If it works, let us also know!