Recipe: Green Machine Slaw

Hi! I'm Celery!

"I'm tall, green, and have tall stringy ribs along the length of my back. I can be cooked like a veggie and have a nice crunch when I'm eaten raw. I'm also a handy and delicious carrier for dips and spreads!"

History & Etymology

• Celery is a native plant to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. 
• Like so many other vegetables and fruits, the Ancient Chinese may have first used celery as medicine. The Ancient Greeks and Romans may have used it as flavoring. 
• Celery was once used as a wreath worn by the winners of athletic games in Ancient Greece. 
• It took a long time before celery was first eaten as food (records show this was in France about 400 years ago). This is probably because the wild forms of celery were very strong in flavor. 
• The name of wild celery was called "smallage." Gardeners experimented and tamed the flavor of wild celery. 
• Eating raw, salted celery stalks became popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were often served in tall glass "celery vases" in the early 1800s. By 1900, celery had become easier to grow and was no longer considered a luxury food, so the use of celery vases declined. 
• Celery used to be grown as a winter and early spring vegetable. It was considered a tonic to cleanse the body during cold months when people ate mostly salted meats and not many fresh vegetables. But later in the 1800s, the celery season was extended, and people started growing it from September to late April.
• The word "celery" comes from the French word "céleri," from the Italian word "selleri," based on the Greek word "selinon" or "parsley." 

Anatomy

• Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) is from the Apiaceae family. Celery is considered both an herb and a vegetable. 
• Celery has long fibrous stalks (or ribs) that taper into leaves. The stalks are ribbed and "U" shaped. A bundle of celery stalks, when connected at the bottom, is called a "bunch."
• The heart or inner stalks in a bunch are more tender, lighter green, and less stringy than the outer stalks. 
• Celery can reach a height of over three feet!

How To Pick, Buy, & Eat

• Celery can be picked when its stalks reach 8 inches tall.
• Parsley and celery belong to the same family. Taste celery leaves! They taste a lot like parsley! All parts of the celery plant are edible, including its blossoms. Celery stalks and leaves are eaten and cooked as a vegetable; its seeds are used as a culinary herb seasoning; and the flowers are used as garnishes and added to salads, soup, and spreads.
• Pick celery stalks that are firm, have a healthy green color, and look fresh. The stalks should snap crisply in half when bent. The darker the stalks, the stronger the flavor (and the more nutritious!). 
• If the leaves are attached to the stalks, that is even better! Use them in salads or soups as you would use parsley.
• Celery sticks are great with nut or seed butter (if you are not allergic!) and hummus. 
• Raw celery stalks are used as vessels or dippers for cream cheese, hummus, nut or seed butter, and other dips and spreads. Sliced celery can be added to salads and soups. 
• Celery seeds are also ground and added to salt to make "celery salt" seasoning, which is added to casseroles, drinks, salads, spice mixes, and stews. 
• Celery contains natural nitrates and is sometimes used to cure and preserve meats. 

Nutrition

• Celery is very low in calories and carbohydrates and has negligible fat. It is rich in vitamin K and a moderate source of folate, vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. Celery leaves contain the most nutrition of the whole plant!
• Vitamin K helps our blood clot. When we cut our fingers or scrape our knees, blood clotting helps stop the bleeding.
• Celery contains special nutrients called "phytonutrients," with "phyto" meaning "plant" in Greek. These nutrients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Celery seeds are thought to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. 
• Celery's fiber content is beneficial to the digestive system. It keeps things in our stomachs and intestines running smoothly!
• Celery is 95 percent water and is considered a hydrating vegetable.