Simple and quick preparation of celery for the winter
The benefits of celery have long been proven, and people leading a healthy lifestyle are trying to include it in their diet. Harvesting celery for the winter makes it possible to use a valuable plant regardless of the season. Many cooking options are limited only by the amount of free time and the availability of additional ingredients.
Harvesting celery for the winter
Various parts of the plant are eaten:
- petioles (stems);
- leaves;
- the root part.
All of them are equally useful and can equally be used in the preparation of celery for the winter. The optimal time for harvesting your own-grown celery is October. The petioles are separated from the foliage and the root, sorted out, damaged stems are removed, dried and folded into plastic bags with small holes for air access. In this way, celery is stored in the refrigerator for several months.
In the basements, the crop can be stored without separating the roots from the greens, placing them in boxes with sand.
Celery must be processed before canning, freezing, drying. It is thoroughly washed and dried. The most rigid fibers are removed from the stems with a knife, and the damaged areas are cleaned. The peel is removed from the root crops.
Celery blanks for the winter before heat treatment need not be thawed if they are cut fine enough.
Harvesting stalked celery
The most common used celery is petiole, the preparations for the winter of which are frozen, pickled, salted separately and with other seasonings.
The greatest amount of vitamins in its stems is preserved when frozen. The petioles are cut into several pieces, placed in bags or plastic containers and placed in the freezer.
To increase the shelf life, before freezing celery for the winter, its stems are blanched (doused with boiling water).
Salting is another way to store stalked celery in preparations for the winter. For 1 kg of greens, 200-250 g of fine table salt is required. The stems are cut into pieces 1-1.5 cm long, mixed with salt in a plastic container, then tightly placed in sterilized glass jars. After a while, when the celery starts juicing, the jars are closed. Such blanks are stored in the cold (cellar, refrigerator).
Celery recipes harvested for the winter include pickling, drying, pickling, and canning in combination with various vegetables. To marinate celery, you will need:
- water - 1.5 l;
- petioles - 1 kg;
- vinegar 9% - 2 tbsp. l .;
- sugar - 8 tbsp. l .;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- black pepper - 6 peas;
- bay leaf - 4 pcs.;
- garlic - 7 cloves.
The amount of spices can be changed to your liking. Celery stalks are cut into slices 1-2 cm wide. One-liter glass jars and lids are sterilized for them.
To prepare the marinade, dissolve sugar, salt and vinegar in water and boil.
Chopped celery, garlic are placed in jars, bay leaves are added. Then pour the boiled marinade, roll up the lids and allow to cool. Celery pickled for the winter is mainly used in salads. It is also added to soups, stews, side dishes.
Harvesting leaf celery
Celery leaves are no less useful for health than its roots and stems. Greens can be harvested throughout the season. It is cut off with a sharp knife as it grows back.
Harvesting of sheet celery for the winter is carried out by drying, freezing, pickling, salting.
You can freeze both crushed and whole leaves. The greens are finely chopped, placed in an ice container or small silicone molds, poured in some water and placed in the freezer. Freezing celery for the winter can be done in plastic containers and plastic bags.
Dry celery leaves whole or chopped. Whole greens with stalks are tied in small bunches and hung in a ventilated room. Shredded leaves are laid out on pallets lined with paper. From time to time, the green mass is shaken up to dry evenly. Drying time is 30 days.
After the end of drying, the herbs are folded into paper or canvas bags and stored in kitchen cabinets.
Celery, marinated for the winter, is used as an additive in vegetable and meat dishes. Garlic, dill umbrellas, bay leaves and black peppercorns are placed at the bottom of sterilized liter jars. The jars are filled with chopped foliage and tamped. Boil the marinade (for 1 liter of water - 2 tbsp. L. Vinegar, 4 tbsp. L. Sugar and 1 tbsp. L. Salt), pour greens on it, roll up the jars with lids and cover with a blanket, leaving to cool completely.
The dry method is used for salting leaf celery. The greens are crushed, sprinkled with fine salt, mixed and left until the juice appears. Then the leaves can be closed in jars. 1 kg of greens requires 200-250 g of salt. Salted celery is added to dishes carefully, as it has a very rich taste.
Harvesting root celery
Root crops of celery are dug out during harvesting, prying with a shovel or pitchfork and pulling out by the petioles. The crop is left to dry, and then put in a cellar or basement (it is well preserved in boxes with sand or ash).
Root celery can be stored in a clay crust. The clay is diluted to the consistency of sour cream and the roots are coated with it, left to dry and then put into the cellar.
The easiest way to prepare root celery for the winter is to dry it. Root vegetables are cut into strips or small cubes (can be grated) and laid out on paper or parchment. Drying can be done in an oven at a temperature of 50-60 ° C for 2-3 hours. Dried celery is stored in glass containers or linen bags.
Apart from drying celery root, it can also be frozen. The disadvantage of this method is the loss of a significant part of the valuable substances and taste of the root crop. The celery is grated, placed in bags or plastic jars and placed in the freezer.
Pickled root vegetables are an excellent preparation of celery for the winter. For 1 kg of roots you will need:
- 2.5 liters of water;
- citric acid on the tip of a knife;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- 0.5 tbsp. 9% vinegar;
- spices to taste.
Finely chop the celery, boil in 1 liter of water with the addition of citric acid and salt and arrange in jars. Add spices. Prepare marinade from water and vinegar and pour into jars. Roll up the blanks with lids and leave to cool.
An excellent preservation option for the winter is celery juice. The basis for juicing is celery puree. Crushed petioles and root vegetables are boiled until softened. In a juicer or through cheesecloth, squeeze the juice. You can put a little puree in the resulting liquid. Add lemon juice, sugar, spices to taste (cardamom, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg), boil for 5 minutes and pour into jars.