If you have become accustomed to thinking about celery as a crunchy, low-cal vegetable but not a key part of your health support, it is time to think again. Recent research has greatly bolstered our knowledge about celery’s anti-inflammatory health benefits. In addition to well-known antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids, scientists have now identified at least a dozen other types of antioxidant nutrients in celery.
Preparation
To clean celery, cut off the base and leaves, then wash the leaves and stalks under running water. Cut the stalks into pieces of desired length. If the outside of the celery stalk has fibrous strings, remove them by making a thin cut into one end of the stalk and peeling away the fibers.
Celery should not be kept at room temperature for more than several hours. That’s because warm temperatures will encourage its high water content to evaporate, causing the celery to have have a tendency to wilt too quickly. If you have celery that has wilted, sprinkle it with a little water and place it in the refrigerator for several hours to help it regain some of its crispness.
Farmers that grow Celery
Recipes
- Add chopped celery to your favorite tuna fish or chicken salad recipe.
- Enjoy the delicious tradition of eating peanut butter on celery stalks.
- Use celery leaves in salads.
- Braise chopped celery, radicchio and onions and serve topped with walnuts and your favorite soft cheese.