Celery is one of the most healthy plants. To get the maximum benefit from its use, you need to know how to properly process this product before serving. About this, as well as the beneficial and harmful qualities of celery - read below.

Plant description

Celery belongs to the umbrella family plants. Homeland of culture are the countries of the Mediterranean. Today, celery is spread all over the world and is actively cultivated in open / closed ground conditions. It is universal regarding use - all parts of the plant (greens, petioles, roots) are suitable for food. The plant is cold-resistant, grows on well-moistened, loose soils and salt marshes. It can be grown as a one-year or two-year crop.

Did you know? In China, celery is used not only as an aphrodisiac, but also as a remedy for a hangover. A glass of celery smoothie will cheer up in the morning and help remove toxins.

There are 3 forms of celery growth:

1. Root - characterized by a large rhizome, weighing from 200 g to 1.5 kg, with small additional roots. The main value is precisely the root. It is dense, covered with gray peel. Inside, solid, white, has a specific smell. The ground part is represented by high hollow petioles, which end with a leaf rosette.
2. Sheet - The root system is highly branched. Petioles are thin, long. End with a lush green mass. The main value is sheet plates. Outwardly, this form of growth is similar to parsley.
3. Chereshkovoy - The root system is branched, does not form root crops. The ground part is powerful, with tall petioles up to 1 m. Thickened petioles are the main value.

The benefits and harms of celery for the body

The composition of this valuable vegetable includes a number of basic elements necessary for the full functioning and development of the human body:

• B vitamins;
• vitamin C;
• carotene;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• manganese;
• zinc;
• magnesium;
• potassium;
• calcium and others

Important! Celery crosses with wormwood, so it can cause severe allergic reactions in people suffering from allergies to this herb.

• Due to this composition, regular use of this product allows you to:
• improve erectile function in men;
• restore the functionality of the body's defense systems;
• improve the state of the central nervous system, providing a tonic effect;
• improve metabolism and remove toxins, cholesterol, excess fluid from the body;
• lower blood pressure by relaxing smooth muscle muscles;
• restore a favorable hormonal background;
• eliminate inflammatory processes;
• improve the functionality of the digestive tract.

A vegetable can harm the body if the daily norm is exceeded, which should not be more than 200 g.

• Among the side effects may be observed:
• nausea;
• vomiting
• a strong decrease in blood pressure, accompanied by dizziness;
• diarrhea;
• skin rashes in the form of urticaria.

The use of the product in question is contraindicated in:

• pregnancy - can greatly increase the tone of the uterus, which will lead to premature birth;
• thrombophlebitis, varicose veins;
• epilepsy;
• urolithiasis;
• cholecystitis, pancreatitis, gastritis;
• uterine bleeding;
• intolerance to the product.

Important! If the peeled pulp is not used immediately, but after a few hours, you need to fill it with water at room temperature - with prolonged contact with air, the pulp darkens and loses its attractiveness.

Do I need to peel celery stalks

The stems of the plant are often consumed raw. To clean them or not, depends on the degree of maturity of the original product. Young stems that are located inside the bundle do not need to be cleaned. They are tender and the fibers are not felt in them. It is enough to rinse the raw materials with warm water. Then the stems are separated from the base. 2-3 cm of length are removed at the bottom of the stems, shoots are cut off at the top, if any. thick petioles need to be cleaned, because without additional processing they will be tasteless, stiff.

The sequence of actions in this case will be as follows:

1. Separate the stems from the base - cut along the line of connection with the rhizome.
2. Wash with warm (+35 ... + 38 ° C) water.
3. Using a sharpened knife or peeler, remove the top layer of the skin.
4. Chop the peeled raw materials.

How to clean celery root

The root crop is subject to obligatory cleaning. The procedure for cleaning the root:

1. Wash the raw materials in warm (+35 ... + 38 ° C) water.
2. Cut off the top and bottom of the fetus.
3. Cutting the root into several parts is necessary for easy cleaning, because the root is quite large and it is inconvenient to peel it completely, moreover, not all raw materials are needed for a single meal.
4. Remove rough peel with a knife or peeler, removing all spots of a darker color to white pulp.
5. Remove the inner spongy part of the root crop.
6. Rinse raw materials again.
7. Use the cleaned root as intended.

Video: how to clean celery root

What can I cook

Most often, the plant in question is used as seasoning or added to a salad, so users are more interested in how to cut celery beautifully. However, in addition to this method of application, there are many more recipes in which the vegetable in question acts as a full-fledged independent product.

Did you know? Celery among the healers is considered a magical plant. Herbalists and esotericists use it to cure fright.

From stem celery

From stem varieties you can cook:

• stew with a mixture of various vegetables;
• petioles fried in batter;
• beetroot with celery - in this dish beets and celery are taken in equal proportions;
• creamy soup;
• vegetable smoothie - celery stalks, carrots and tomatoes are mixed in equal proportions in a blender;
• stuffed with shrimp or trout stalks;
• cocktails in which the main ingredient is combined with various vegetables and fruits at your discretion;
• caviar;
• celery-mushroom sauce;
• cheese casserole with petioles.

Stalks can be combined in salads with a variety of ingredients. The most interesting culinary delights to taste are obtained when combined with:

• mushrooms;
• turkey meat;
• tuna
• fennel;
• cheese
• cottage cheese;
• apples
• Beijing cabbage;
• carrots.

From the root

From root varieties you can cook:

• baked root with port;
• cream soup;
• soup with pear, blue cheese and diced root;
• baked root with parsnip and apples;
• mashed potatoes with spices and garlic;
• fortified cocktail.

How long is celery stored

Not all copies are suitable for storage. Good vegetable:

• it smells good;
• has strong leaves and dense petioles bright green;
• the root crop is solid, whole, without knots.

Celery is not stored for a long time. If the vegetable was bought fresh and had no damage, its shelf life will be 3–7 days under certain conditions:

• temperature 0 ... + 6 ° С;
• lack of light;
• humidity 60%.

Leaf and petiole vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator on the middle shelf or in the vegetable compartment. Previously, the stems are placed in a container or wrapped with foil. In this form, the shelf life will be 7-15 days. When freezing chopped celery, the shelf life will be longer and will be 6-12 months.

At room temperature, celery persists for no longer than 3-5 days. Another storage option is drying. Any variety of this plant can be subjected to such processing, regardless of variety. Raw materials are dried for 4-6 hours at a temperature of + 90 ° C in an oven. Then put in a sealed vessel and kept at room temperature in a dry, dark place.The shelf life of dried raw materials is about 6-12 months. Root crops can be kept on the balcony in sandboxes. The balcony is suitable for storing vegetables in the winter, if the temperature there in the frost will not drop below 0 ° C. Celery is not only a decoration for any salad. This vegetable can be either an independent dish or a side dish.