Celery

Photo credit: Thadah Wah

The crisp, crunchy, and sweet stalks of celery make a delicious, low-calorie snack, provide a crunch for any salad, or add an essential flavor to soups. Celery is part of the carrot and parsley family and only makes its debut in cool weather seasons of late fall, winter, and early spring. Celery contains a plant compound traditionally used in Chinese medicine as an anit-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant agent.

STORAGE: According to Cook's Illustrated and the Kitchn, the best way to store celery is not in a plastic bag or air-tight container. Instead, keeping the celery whole and wrapping it in aluminum foil will keep the moisture in but allow the ethylene to escape. Stored this way, celery will stay fresh for two to four weeks. Ethylene is naturally released by celery (and by many other fruits and vegetables), and if trapped inside a plastic bag, it will cause your celery to go bad much more quickly.

RECIPES:

Celery Leaf Pesto

23 Celery Recipes from Epicurious