Tips and Recipes
for Brookfield Farm Crops

  
   
 
 
Celery (Apium graveoleus)

 Wild celery was one of the first vegetables to appear in written history. In ancient Greece, celery had a medicinal reputation. In Egypt, its seeds were prized as a spice. In China, Confucius wrote about wild celery around 500 B.C. In America, celery has been cultivated since 1874, when Dutch farmers gave celery samples to train travelers to popularize the vegetable. Celery is a good source of fiber, and is reputed to lower blood pressure.

 
 

 

Recipes:

Sweet and Sour Celery (from: Fresh Ways with Vegetables)
1 bunch celery, leaves removed, stalks cut on the diagonal into 1-inch slices
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp finely chopped sweet red pepper

Pour enough water into a large skillet to fill about 1/4 inch deep. Add celery, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and bring to boil. Uncover and cook until celery is tender and liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter red pepper on top. Serve immediately. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Cream of Celery Soup (from: Joy of Cooking)
1 tbsp butter
1 cup or so chopped celery with leaves
1/3 cup onion, thinly sliced
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in saucepan, add celery and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add stock, simmmer 10 minutes. Strain or puree soup. Return to heat, add 1 1/1 cups of milk and bring to boil. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup milk, stir gradually into hot soup. Bring to a boil again, stir and cook about 1 minute. Add salt/pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 cups.

Celery, Green Bean and Tomato Toss
(from: Rodale's Naturally Great Foods Cookbook)

approximately 8 large outer stalks of celery
1 pound green beans
3 medium-sized tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Wash celery, cut off tops, and using a potato peeler, remove top layer of strings from outside stalks. Cut cross-wise into 1" wide, diagonal slices. Wash and cut green beans into 1" lengths. Peel and chop tomatoes.

Using a large skillet (not cast-iron) saute garlic in butter and oil for a minute or so, then add green beans and oregano and saute for 5 minutes. Add celery, saute for 2 minutes, then add tomatoes. Cover pan, turn heat low and continue to steam until vegetables are tender but firm. Serves 4-6.

 

Storage Tips:

  • Refrigerate as soon as possible or celery will go limp. Warp in damp towel or place in a plastic bag and store in the hydrator drawer of the refrigerator. It should keep for up to two weeks. Retain maximum crispness by storing stems upright in a container with an inch of water.

  • For long-term storage celery can be frozen. Slice into rounds, then spread out on a cookie sheet and place into freezer. When all is frozen, place into airtight container or zip-lock bag and return to freezer. Celery pieces will be soft when thawed and are best used in soups or stews.