Celery greens and root vegetables can be bought not in all stores. Not always the plant offers sellers in the market. Unfortunately, celery is less popular compared to other vegetable crops. But the plant is full of vitamins and nutrients that are so necessary for the body.
Therefore, it is reasonable to grow celery on your own plot or buy it with a reserve in order to eat more often. In summer, the plant is included in the fresh menu. It does not hurt to prepare it for the winter.
How to keep fresh leaf and stalked celery
Green celery on the air very quickly fades. The stalks lose their elasticity, become too soft. Therefore, after the purchase of celery or removal from the garden should be immediately:
- Rinse it under running water.
- Leave on a paper napkin to dry out.
- Wrap in aluminum foil.
- Send to the fridge.
Celery leaflets and petioles will remain in the foil for about ten days, remaining fresh and fragrant. But if you put them in polyethylene, they will fade after three days.
Another way to:
- Cut the root of the plant.
- Put the stalk in a jar filled with a third with cool tap water.
- Put in a cozy place in the kitchen.
In a jar, celery can stand up to a week without a refrigerator. A prerequisite is to change the water every day and cut the stem slightly.
To save celery until spring, you can do this:
- Dig up each plant, leaving an earthen ball on its roots.
- Move to the basement and “plant” in the sand.
This method is acceptable when such premises are available.
Methods for storing celery root crops
Celery roots can be stored for several days and longer.
To keep the plant fresh during the week, the root crop should be tightly wrapped in cling film and put in the refrigerator. Spicy taste and a special tart flavor of vegetable culture will remain with her.
To preserve root crops over a long period, you can use one of the following methods:
- In an upright position, gently stick the fruit into the dry sand that filled the box or box. Petioles should be left on the surface. Tara with celery and sand to send in the basement or cellar.
- Root vegetables put in bags of polyethylene. Sprinkle with a layer of sand (2 cm), place in a room with a temperature not higher than one degree of heat and humidity of about 90%.
- Dilute the clay with water to form a creamy mixture. Each celery root covered with a layer of the obtained substance, dried and laid in rows in rows in storage.
Any of these methods will help keep celery fresh until early spring.
How to save celery for the winter. Freeze
Stock up on celery for the whole winter in several ways:
- freezing;
- salting;
- drying.
Freezing is a common method of storing herbs and vegetables, without a doubt, is also applicable to celery. Vegetable plant:
- cut (petioles) into large pieces, blanch, lay out in portion bags and send to the freezer. Such celery is convenient to use as an additive for soups and main dishes;
- chop the leaves or chop them with a blender, pour them into ice molds. Top with water and gently put in the freezer. After complete freezing, the celery cubes are placed in a plastic bag or container and placed in the same freezer. Frozen greens are ideal for making sauces.
Celery leaf and stalked frozen and whole: the stems with leaves are packed in a container, tightly closed. Capacity is placed in the freezer.
Save and frozen celery root can be. For this root cut or rubbed on a grater. Then packaged in bags of small size.
Such packaging will contribute to the use of thawed celery in one step.
Celery is perfectly preserved until spring.
Storage of pickled celery
Salt - a preservative, for a long time to save products from damage.
Salted leaf celery for the winter is done in compliance with the following proportions:
- 0, 5 kg plants;
- 0, 1 g of coarse salt;
- a currant leaf or a bit hot pepper. The choice of the hostess.
Greens:
- Shred or chopped using a meat grinder.
- Pour salt and mix.
- The resulting mixture is filled with clean cans.
- The container is closed and placed in a cooler place. The optimum temperature is 5-7 degrees with a plus sign.
The fragrant product will last all winter.
Dried Celery
Dried leaves, cuttings, celery roots are stored for at least one year.
This method allows you to get excellent plant seasoning.
Celery root dry as follows:
- Wash mine well.
- Peel off.
- Cut into strips.
- To remove excess moisture, leave on a paper towel.
- Pour out onto paper, smooth out, to have one layer.
- Dry in partial shade.
The leaves and cuttings of celery must be cut into small pieces before drying. To bring the plant to the required condition will take about a month.
Much faster to dry the celery in the oven. Within three hours you should keep the temperature at 40 degrees, and then raise to 55-60 and leave the herbs to dry. The oven door should be kept ajar to prevent steam from accumulating.
Dried celery is poured into a sealed glass container and stored away from direct sunlight. You can put the product in a paper bag and keep it out of damp sources.
Growing celery is easy to save - very easy. A little work - and a healthy plant all year round will improve and enrich the daily menu.
