Harvesting petiole celery for the winter. How to store leaf celery in winter

Everyone who once met celery becomes his ardent admirer for many years. After all, even one small sprig of leafy spices can give a person a daily intake of vitamins. Unfortunately, finding greenery in winter is not so easy. Modern supermarkets tend to offer only dried celery root.

If you look carefully, you can find fresh leaves for sale even in winter. But you will have to pay a considerable amount for them, and when you come home and try the brought greens, you will most likely be disappointed with its insipid taste, lack of aroma, or even dissimilarity to the usual celery.

As a result, disappointment is guaranteed to you: firstly, because of the poor quality of the product, and secondly, because of wasted money. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with ways to keep your own celery for the whole winter, without losing nutritional properties, with minimal loss of taste.

The first thing that comes to mind when you want to save greens is to simply dry them or freeze them. Of course, both options are used quite often, they have every right to life, but there are also many other ways to provide your family with useful trace elements for the whole winter.

Video “Methods of storing celery”

From the video you will learn about the most common storage methods.

Drying

One of the easiest, most affordable, and most effective ways to preserve greens is to simply dry them. With this method of storage, the leaves retain most of the trace elements and essential oils.

Dried celery is prepared as follows: the leaves are cut off from the stems, tied in small bunches and hung out in a well-ventilated place, protected from direct sunlight. You can use another drying option: spread the leaves on a dry, clean surface, covering the top with a sheet of paper. Celery will dry completely in about 30 days, as soon as this happens, the leaves must be ground into powder and placed in an airtight glass dish or cloth bag, where they will be stored.

Fresh storage

If you want to indulge in some fresh celery greens in the middle of winter, here's what you need to do. A bush of spices is dug out in autumn along with the root, keeping an earthen ball around the latter, and digging it in the basement. If this method does not suit you, you can do it differently: all the greens are removed from the stems, and the petioles themselves are dried a little, wrapped in foil and placed in the refrigerator. If the temperature does not rise above +1 degrees, celery stalks will remain without loss until spring.

Freezing

One of the most common ways to harvest greens. Unfortunately, this method deprives celery of most of its useful properties, but even those that remain are considered quite sufficient for the winter period. For freezing, celery leaves are crushed, placed in ice molds, poured with water and frozen in this form. If there is a desire to freeze whole stems, they must be placed in a special plastic container and sent to the freezer.

Dry Ambassador

Celery greens harvested in this way can be used in the preparation of absolutely any dishes, but you need to remember that the spice contains a large amount of salt. The salting method is simple: for each kilogram of washed, dried, chopped greens, you need to take about 250 g of salt, mix thoroughly and place tightly in prepared jars. As soon as juice begins to appear on the surface, the jars are rolled up and stored in a cool, dark place.

Pickling

Of course, this method of harvesting for the future is more often used for roots - pickled celery root is an excellent savory snack.

You can also use the marinade for the leaves: they are also good as an appetizer for meat, potato and fish dishes. They do it as follows: a few cloves of garlic, 2-3 bay leaves are placed on the bottom of the prepared 1-liter jars, then the greens are tightly laid, lightly tamping it.

Ready-made jars are poured with marinade, which is prepared as follows: for four glasses of water, you need to take one glass of vinegar, 100 g of granulated sugar and 80 g of salt. Boil everything, and pour the celery with the prepared marinade. The blank needs sterilization: each liter jar must be sterilized for 20 minutes, then rolled up.

Since ancient times, people have known several types of celery: leaf, which is used as a seasoning, petiole, whose stems are eaten raw and boiled, and root. The latter is a small root crop, from which you can cook main dishes, or add it to soups, stews and salads.

There are several options for storing celery at home all winter. Most often, drying, salting or freezing is used, thanks to these methods, leaf or root celery lie the longest. Fresh celery can be kept for two to three weeks, but both for long-term storage and for short-term storage, it is necessary to choose the right place for it and take care of suitable conditions.

Harvesting and harvesting celery for the winter begins in July-August, when the plants ripen, but have not yet begun to bloom. Otherwise, the greens will waste all the useful substances on the ripening of the seeds, and also lose their taste.

You can buy celery in the store at any time of the year, but when choosing it, you need to carefully consider the shelf life and quality of the goods.

• Stems should be firm, smooth, without voids; hollow petioles will “ring” when tapped.
• Plants are checked for freshness by pressing on the root, if it is soft and slippery, then you should not take such a vegetable.
• Also, good celery has a bright green color, without yellowness and spots on the leaves and stems.

Storing fresh celery

Fresh celery can be stored for 10-14 days in the vegetable section of the refrigerator. Plants should be thoroughly washed, cleaned of dirt, damaged leaves and stems. All parts of the vegetable must be thoroughly wiped with paper towels and then packed in a plastic bag and placed in a cool, dark place. Instead of a package, it is permissible to take foil, it is believed that it extends the shelf life of products. But the best option is food containers. If you put fresh celery sprigs on paper towels, the plant can lie for more than three weeks without spoiling.

It is possible to keep the freshness of celery at home if you cut the root of the plant and lower the stem into a jar of water, so it can stand without a refrigerator for about seven days, but every day you will have to change the water and cut the stem.

Basement storage

Leaf celery is stored in the winter, having dug up bushes with roots: they are transferred to the basement and placed in boxes with sand. For the cellar, you can use the option of storing root celery, in which the lower part of the plant is dipped in a mash of clay and water, dried and put in a suitable container. It is better not to remove boxes of vegetables on the balcony in winter so that the plants do not freeze.

Freeze

A popular way to store vegetables for the winter - freezing - is applicable for celery. If the leaves will be used as an additive in soups and main dishes, then it is more convenient to store them cut into large pieces. For sauces, it would be better to chop the leaves, fill them with ice molds, add water and put them in the freezer. After freezing, the cubes are poured into plastic bags.

For root celery, such storage is also applicable, but it is not recommended to freeze the whole vegetable - it is better to grate or chop it. It is important not to defrost foods so that they do not lose all their best qualities.

salting

A common way to store vegetables is salting. Salt is a good preservative that keeps food from spoiling for a long time. For salting celery for the winter, take the ingredients in the following proportions:

• 500 grams of celery. The root and leaves can be salted together or separately.
• 100 grams of table salt, not iodized and without additives.
• Currant leaf for flavor or a little hot pepper for spiciness. Spices need to be added, focusing on your own preferences.

Celery is finely cut or passed through a meat grinder, sprinkled with salt and laid out in jars. After that, the jars are tightly closed and cleaned in a cool place, with a constant temperature of 5-7 degrees. In such conditions, salted greenery will lie all winter.

Drying

If you need to get seasoning from celery, then drying is considered the best way to do this. The washed celery root is peeled and cut into strips, the leaves are rinsed with water and laid out on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Then pour the chopped greens in an even layer on paper and leave in a dark, cool place. The whole drying process will take about a month.

In the oven, celery is kept on a paper-covered tray at 40 degrees for three hours, after which the temperature is raised by 15-20 degrees, leaving the greens to dry. The oven must be slightly opened so that steam does not accumulate, which can not only lengthen the drying time, but also spoil the greens.

When the celery has dried well, it will need to be poured into glass jars with an airtight lid or paper bags and stored, protecting the seasoning from direct sunlight. For greens that are kept in bags, high humidity is dangerous, so you need to store them away from possible sources of dampness.

Your brownie.

If you eat celery, you probably noticed that in winter it has a different taste. You can avoid disappointment in dishes if you know how to store leaf celery.

The beneficial properties of this plant have been known since ancient times. Since its inception, several varieties have been distinguished:

• sheet;
• petiolate;
• root.

Vegetarians and healthy eaters often consume stalked celery. Its stems are eaten raw, after washing under running water. By combining it with other healthy products, you can get not just a smoothie, but a storehouse of vitamins. The root vegetable or simply the root is found as a side dish in boiled or stewed form, as one of the iconic ingredients of a salad or soup. It is used to make purees, mousses and stews. Finally, dried leaf celery is almost indispensable, its use fills the dish with bright colors and spicy notes.

Dried celery is found as a condiment. Winter is always accompanied by a deficiency of vitamins in the body. In order for the products to be exclusively beneficial, you need to figure out how to properly prepare celery, in particular leaf celery, for the winter, while preserving its natural benefits. Talking about excellent preservation of taste is inappropriate, because not a single processed vegetable can be compared with fresh. But losses can be minimized.

Harvesting begins at the end of July or at the beginning of August, when the culture has ripened, but has not yet bloomed. This is one of the main rules, because in this way the stems and leaves contain the highest concentration of compounds. If the plant has already bloomed, then a lot of effort will go into the development of seeds, as a result, the vegetable will be tasteless.

Of course, in modern markets you can find anything and anytime. But with common sense, you can come to the conclusion that a vegetable or fruit grown in unnatural conditions, under a lamp instead of sunlight, and fed with additives will not bring any benefit.

Harvesting leaf celery for the winter is not so difficult. If it grows in your garden, then it is stupid to buy it in a store. Dried celery root will open up much better in a dish than fresh store-bought in the off-season.

Basic storage methods

There are several options for storing the product at home. The most common are:

• drying;
• freezing.

The technology of each type involves saving a vegetable for a certain period. The simplest methods make it possible to store greens for three weeks, subject to compliance with the requirements. Long-term storage implies the presence of special conditions, temperature conditions and the preparation process.

The leafy part of celery wilts quickly. To make the use of a dried or frozen product as pleasant as possible, hurry up to process it. Leaves should be cut and washed as soon as possible. Then dry on a paper towel. After drying, it is recommended to wrap the raw material in foil. Do not replace foil with polyethylene or plastic. These substances act as decay catalysts.

There is an interesting option to keep leafy celery for the winter, even fresh. To do this, you will need a specially designated place in the cellar, covered with sand. During the harvest, you need to dig up the bushes with roots, transfer them to the basement and place them in the sand. If there is no cold room in the house, aluminum foil and a separate place in the refrigerator are enough.

Drying

This is one of the best ways to preserve the benefits of leaf celery and provide your family with vitamins for the whole winter. Dried celery can be prepared in several ways. The first option is natural drying. The leafy part is knitted in bunches and hung in a spacious room where air circulates freely. The second involves the use of a lamp or other light source. Raw materials should not be exposed to sunlight. To do this, the spread out leaves are covered with parchment on top. Thus, you can protect them from the negative effects of the sun, and at the same time dry well.

It is recommended to grind the finished product into powder using a blender, mortar or manually. In a month, you will be able not only to dry the leaves, but to preserve their natural aroma and piquancy. Seasoning from leaves and stems is also very popular. It can be stored in a bag or glass container.

Freeze

In many respects, freezing is inferior to drying. First of all, this is the number of saved properties of the product. During freezing, heat treatment occurs, as a result of which most of the compounds are destroyed, the most stable and no less necessary components remain.

So that even in winter the fresh smell of dishes will bring you back to summer, you can freeze the leaves in ice molds. Chopped celery is placed in a container and poured with a small amount of water. The type of dry freezing is also common. To do this, the leaves are closed in an airtight bag or container. The product is stored in the freezer, in the compartment for vegetables.

Video "Harvesting celery for the winter"

From this video you will learn how to properly harvest celery for the winter.

The root variety of celery is a very valuable culture for humans. It contains many trace elements and vitamins. Main dishes are made from root crops, they are used as an ingredient in salads and stews. Such celery is not always easy to find on vegetable counters. Therefore, people who care about health try to prepare it for the winter. There are quite a few recipes for storing root vegetables. Videos and recommendations from experts will help you understand them.

Features of harvesting root celery

Storing a vegetable crop begins with its proper harvesting. This process usually continues from mid-summer to early autumn. The plant should not have time to bloom. Otherwise, it will use its juice to form seeds and lose taste because of this. Cut the leaves, leaving short petioles.
Whether you harvest on your own or buy on the market - monitor the quality of root crops.

A good root celery has the following characteristics:

• surface without nodules and protruding tubercles;
• when pressed, the root crop is dense and hard, softness indicates rot;
• when tapped, the sound should be deaf, voiced speaks of cavities inside the fetus.

For long-term storage, choose high-quality root vegetables

For short-term storage, you can place celery on the vegetable shelf of the refrigerator:

• be sure to wash the surface of the root crop;
• remove dirt and damaged parts;
• wipe dry;
• place in a plastic bag.

Attention! Under such conditions, celery can be safely stored for up to 2 weeks, retaining its taste and aroma.

Methods for winter storage of root celery

For longer preservation of root crops, a cellar is usually used. There are several options. All of them will help keep celery until spring:

1. Place the fruit in a plastic bag. Sprinkle with dry sand and store at a temperature not exceeding +1°C. The optimum humidity is about 90%.
2. Fill a cardboard box or wooden box with dry sand. Stick the roots into it in a vertical position, leaving the leaf petioles above the surface. Store container in a dark, cool place.
3. Knead clay with water until creamy. Brush the celery with a thin layer of the mixture. Dry and place in a cool dry place.
4. Lay the roots in several layers right in the cellar on a dry bedding. Each layer should be sprinkled with sand mixed with chalk, which will protect against fungal infections.

In the cellar, celery can be stored until spring

You can freeze celery root in the freezer. To do this, cut the roots, and then grate them on a coarse grater. It is convenient to pack the resulting semi-finished product in sealed bags in portions and use the vegetable crop as needed.

You can dry the root crops:

• peel them;
• cut into strips;
• dry in the sun or in the oven;
• place in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid.

Recipe for harvesting root celery for the winter

For winter storage, you can cook or pickle celery roots. One of the recipes:

1. Peel the root crop from the skin and cut into medium-sized cubes.
2. Prepare the marinade. Fill a saucepan with water and dissolve citric acid (3 g per 1 liter) and salt (30 g per 1 liter) in it. Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Put the saucepan with the marinade over low heat and throw in the prepared celery. Boil for a couple of minutes, and then remove the roots with a slotted spoon. Let them cool down.
4. Prepare sterile jars and lids. Arrange celery in them, add 3-4 black peppercorns to each.
5. Fill jars with marinade. Sometimes housewives prepare a separate solution by mixing 9% vinegar and water in proportions of 1:4.
6. Without sealing, place the jars in a large container of water at about 85-95 ° C for pasteurization. The procedure is carried out for 20 minutes.
7. Roll up the lids.

Attention! The pasteurization period is indicated for half-liter jars. 1 liter containers should be kept on fire for 5 minutes. longer.

Winter dishes with celery root

In the cold season, this root crop can become a real storehouse of scarce substances for your body. The roots are delicious in a salad:

Celery is very beneficial for humans

1. Rinse 0.5 kg of celery and boil for 30-45 minutes. until softened. Leave to cool.
2. Prepare salad dressing. Mix 3 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice and 1 tbsp. l. wine vinegar. Add salt, pepper, seasonings to taste.
3. Cut the roots into thin slices and pour over the dressing.

Advice. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator under cling film for several days.

You may or may not boil the celery. It goes well in this form with beets, carrots and apples. Grate all the ingredients on a fine grater and arrange in layers on a plate. Season with sauce: 4 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp. soft mustard. You can add a little honey to taste.

Another version of the salad is a combination of grated celery with carrots, nuts and flax seeds. This dish is seasoned with any vegetable oil, preferably odorless.

Preparing celery roots is easy. Having properly organized their storage, you will be able to receive a full-fledged vitamin diet even in the winter cold.

How to cook celery root: video