Homegrown Celery
This year I decided to grow celery. My sole reason for growing it was for my tomato soup (our favorite canned item by far). I bought some ‘Tendercrip’ celery seeds from Baker Creek this spring and I started the seeds in February. They took a while to germinate, but when they did, every single one germinated. I ended up with 24 celery plants. I gave some to my mom and planted 12-14 in my gardens.
I’ve been waiting for my tomato harvest to pick up so I have enough for a batch of soup, and I was hoping my celery would be ready in time. I was pleasantly surpised when I went out to harvest a celery plant yesterday and I found this lovely one, weighing in at 1 lb 10 oz – WOW.
I didn’t blanch them, I happen to like the green celery. Those leaves will come in handy as well, they will add excellent flavor to my soup and to chicken stock and soups this winter. Another plus in my garden is that nothing eats celery. Since I have deer, rabbits, chipmunks and groundhogs that eat a lot of other things, anytime I can find a plant that will do well in the back without animal threats I’m one happy gardener.
Have you ever grown celery?
Filed under Edible, harvest | Comments (19)
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That’s a huge celery! I’ve not grown it as its not one of my favs, but my mother loves it. Is it possible/worth the work to grow only a small amount?
Mangochild´s last blog ..The Impact of “Kitchen Gardening”
to Mangochild's comment
I think it would be worth it. I didn’t need to do much for it, it really takes care of itself.
to Susy's comment
it’s actually the only celery i like, homegrown.. store bought is much too sterile and uniform for me to trust
to annie avery's comment
I’ve never grow celery. I don’t use it in much, just winter soups. I keep thinking I need one plant for my yearly needs. Right now I just buy individual stalks one at a time from the grocery.
Daphne´s last blog ..Beauty of the Beans
to Daphne's comment
I grew a cutting celery for the first time this year that has done pretty well. Good to hear the standard varieties aren’t too hard to grow–I’d like to try it but it seems like it might not keep well for the volume you get.
How are you planning on preserving the leaves? (Drying, freezing?)
s´s last blog ..meze monday
to s's comment
I’m planning on freezing it, I may dry some of the leaves for seasoning though.
to Susy's comment
I grow celery and find it is a crop that likes my natural environment so it thrives despite it’s reputation as a high demand crop (lots of water and very fertile soil). I keep some going as long into the fall/winter as possible for fresh eating purposes and the rest is harvested and sliced up and then flash frozen on cookie sheets and put into gallon zip lock freezer bags – so I can scoop out what I need for cooking purposes and then reseal the bag. Since most of my celery use is for cooking – this works really well. I do the same thing with diced peppers and chopped onions too.
to KitsapFG's comment
The town I grew up in is actually known for celery. There are a bunch of huge fields that were once filled with nothing but celery, but are now owned by sod and cattle companies. It was neat going into grocery stores and seeing my home town on the label, though.
Also, we got the rabbits, if you’re interested in taking a peek!
Christine´s last blog ..Bunny pen
to Christine's comment
“nothing eats celery”
you said it yourself! I do not like it much…though it looks cool in your hand! A huge plant!
warren´s last blog ..The Stop Sign Artist of Charleston, WV
to warren's comment
You’re too funny!
to Susy's comment
It has been years since I’ve grown it. Mine never got as big as your’s…I think you just might have inspired me to try again next year! Kim
the inadvertent farmer´s last blog ..Friday Funnies
to the inadvertent farmer's comment
I did give mine a dose or two of liquid seaweed partway through the season. I read that celery loves this.
to Susy's comment
[...] homegrown celery | Chiot's Run chiotsrun.com/2009/08/21/homegrown-celery – view page – cached This year I decided to grow celery. I bought some 'Tendercrip' celery seeds from Baker Creek this spring and I started the seeds in February. — From the page [...]
to Twitter Trackbacks for homegrown celery | Chiot’s Run [chiotsrun.com] on Topsy.com's comment
[...] more than I did last year (31 pints). I’m particularly excited about this soup because this year I grew my own celery. I also started a lot of onions, but onions are one of those things that don’t do all that well [...]
to Home Canned Tomato Soup | Chiot’s Run's comment
Great Article, I’m going to grow my own next year.
I weighed in at 18 stones 6 weeks ago. I started eating two large heads of celery per day with a tuna / mayo mix each meal. 6 weeks on I’m weighing 16.5 stones and really feel healthy. My friends and family are all suffering with autumnal colds, but not me. Energy levels are up, concentration is at a peak and I feel that my cholesterol is optimal (although no tests to prove it).
Celery Rocks … I will continue to eat it even after I have achieved my weight loss goals.
to Colin H's comment
Congrats on getting healthier! It’s definitely a worthy pursuit and you’ll be glad you did for years to come!
to Susy's comment
Do you know when the celery has been out in the garden too long? Or is there such a thing? Mine have been in the garden for a month maybe.
What I notice is that they get dry a bit. Anything on this would be appreciated.
to Paulina's comment
Celery is a biennial, meaning it will live and set seed next year. So you can leave it out in the garden as long as you want. If you leave it over winter it will go to see though. I plan on leaving mine in the garden as long as I can since I don’t have room to store it and I prefer it fresh.
to Susy's comment
[...] made myself a big pot of chicken soup with a chicken from the local farm, farmer’s market onions, homegrown celery and lots of homegrown garlic and hot peppers. It’s soothing and really helped break up my [...]
to A Little Under the Weather | Chiot’s Run's comment