Celery sticks have an intense flavor. A few of them, cut into fine pieces, are enough to enrich any dish. The rest of the perennial can be stored in a cool place for days. In the freezer, however, they have a particularly long shelf life.

Raw celery is best frozen in thin slices

Sticks of celery, celery or celery?

What a celery root is is immediately clear to everyone. But what exactly are celery, stick celery and bleached celery? In terms of appearance, there isn't much of a difference. In fact, these three terms mean one and the same thing: the above-ground plant parts of a celery species that has been bred specifically for strong stalks.

However, the lighter the poles are, the less light they have received while growing. Appropriate covers have ensured this result because it also has a mild taste.

So when freezing the stalks is described below, this applies to all stalks equally, regardless of whether you bought or planted them as celery sticks, celery sticks or white celery.

Raw and bleached: pros and cons

Celery sticks can be frozen both raw and blanched.
The difference between these two methods lies in the following points:

  • Freezing time
  • Duration of shelf life

It takes less time to freeze raw celery sticks because there is no need for time-consuming blanching. This is so far understandable for everyone. The enormous difference in shelf life, on the other hand, is not so well known. While blanched stalks can survive freezing temperatures for a year, frozen celery stalks should be eaten within two months.

Freeze raw celery

If there is no time to blanch the sticks, it is better to freeze them raw instead of ending up in the garbage can.
Appropriately marked, they can be used up again quickly, so that freezing in the raw state does not result in any disadvantage.

  • Cut off the roots, tops and leaves
  • Thoroughly clean the celery
  • Cut the sticks into fine slices ready to use
  • place in suitable containers
  • label and freeze

The small pieces of celery are handy because they can be added to the saucepan while frozen. This way they retain a lot of their original crunchy consistency.

Freeze blanched celery sticks

Blanching gives the deep-frozen celery stalks three advantages for the freezer: long shelf life, firm consistency and an intense flavor that remains.

  1. Use a sharp knife to cut off the roots of the perennial.
  2. Remove the leaves and the dried ends of the stalks.
  3. Separate the individual stalks from the perennial.
  4. Thoroughly clean each rod under running water.
  5. Remove the inedible threads by peeling them off the perch with a sharp knife.
  6. Cut each stick into slices about 1 cm thick.
  7. Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan.
  8. Blanch the pieces in it for about 3 minutes.
  9. Then, scoop out the celery pieces with a slotted spoon.
  10. Interrupt the cooking process by placing the still-hot celery in ice water.
  11. After the pieces have cooled sufficiently, they should be drained on kitchen paper.
  12. Fill the celery in portions into suitable freezer containers and put them in the freezer immediately after labelling.

Defrosting frozen celery sticks

Frozen pieces of celery can be added directly to cooking food without having to defrost them. Otherwise, they should be gently thawed in the refrigerator, leaving them in the closed container. Defrosting may take several hours depending on the size of the pieces.

Conclusion for fast readers

  • Preparation: Remove root end, dry stem ends and leaves
  • Preparation: wash poles; Pulling strings; slice
  • Blanch: Three minutes in boiling salted water; then quench in ice water
  • Packing: Put the dried pieces in portions in suitable freezer containers
  • Label: Label container with contents and date before freezing
  • Raw Freezing: Time Saving; skip blanching; Place raw celery chunks in containers
  • Shelf life: Raw celery: 2 months; blanched sticks: 12 months
  • Defrosting: Defrost gently in the refrigerator or add frozen to cooking food

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