Of the three types of celery, celeriac and cut celery, only the first two can be kept for a while. With the following tips you can achieve an optimal shelf life of the spicy vegetables.

Celery keeps for a long time in the fridge

The difference between celeriac and celery

Different parts of the plant are used in the kitchen for the two most common types of celery: In the case of celery, also known as stick celery or white celery, the sticks, which are kept light by bleaching during cultivation, are primarily used in salads, soups and vegetable dishes. The leaves are also edible, but are rarely left on the vegetable when you buy celery. Celery does not form a tuber and concentrates its strength in the stalks.
As the name suggests, the distinctive root bulb of celeriac is primarily used. The petioles and leaves, which grow weaker than those of celery, are also edible and a good seasoning. When you buy celeriac in the supermarket, the green parts of the plant have usually already been removed.

Store celery in the refrigerator

Celery will stay fresh for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Since it tolerates high humidity, pack it in a plastic bag. Cut two or three small slits in these to allow condensation to escape. You can keep the celery in the vegetable drawer. If you have a cool storage cellar where the temperature is no higher than 14 °C, you can also store the celery stalks there.
At the latest, when the celery stalks become limp, you should process them.

Store celeriac in sand

Celeriac is a root vegetable that can be stored for a very long time - several months. Ideally, store the tubers in moist sand like this:

  1. Select uninjured celery bulbs. Tubers with cuts or dents cannot be stored.
  2. Remove the leaves and stems from the tubers. Don't wash them off as this encourages rot.
  3. Prepare a wooden box by filling it with wet sand.
  4. Put the celery in the box and carefully cover it with sand.
  5. Place the box in a cool but frost-free place, such as a storage cellar, garden shed or garage.
  6. Check regularly whether the sand is still wet enough.

You can achieve a slightly shorter shelf life if you wrap the celeriac in newspaper instead of laying it in sand. It is then also stored in a cool room as indicated above. Celery can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks and should be eaten at the latest when they start to soften.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden