Okay, now I’m sure some of your are sitting shaking your head and thinking that I am some super-nut over here. How can I think celery is YUM? It is a bland, almost flavorless watery veg that is sold as stalks in the grocery store wrapped in plastic and is only tolerable when scooping up hummus or with peanut butter.
And if that is your experience of celery to date. You are RIGHT!
But, I’ll tell you, that ain’t celery. That is a poor imitation of a vegetable.
First thing is… celery HATES plastic. I’ve been told that plastic allows all the flavor to escape, or dissipate. But I think it tries to mimic the plastic it is living in, actually. It becomes as bland as the wrapper.
But when you buy celery at the farmers market, or grow it yourself, or get it from a neighbor, it is an entirely different flavor. Complex, almost nutty, the leaves can be used on their own and yes, they be cooked.
Celery diced into pieces and added to onions and garlic or peppers are the basis of many of my favorite dishes, including Gumbo and Brunswick stew.
And it has a fully edible root, sometimes called Celeriac, that can be used in many different ways. I like to dice it, toss it with olive oil and salt and bake it in the oven. It can be stored and eaten as a side dish, or snack, or added to all sorts of dishes from stews to salads to potato and celeriac pancakes!
In fact, if you grow your own celery, the root will grow multiple stalks over time and you can eat all those before you harvest the root.
When you store celery, don’t put it in plastic! Wrap it in foil to help it last weeks. Or leave it open in your produce drawer. I like to bring mine home and rinse it, remove the leaves for salads or other recipes and have the stalks cut up and ready to nibble on during the week - with or without the peanut butter!
Lots of fun details about celery and celery root can be found here and here