Celery - A Succulent Snack
Celery (Apium graveolens) is a marsh plant, related to anise, carrots, parsley and parsnips, which originated in the Mediterranean region. The Greeks called it selinon, (it is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, 850 B.C.), and it was originally used for medicinal purposes only. Our word “celery” comes from the French celeri, which is derived from the ancient Greek word. The original form of celery was called smallage by the English, and this wild variety now sprouts up wild in damp places all over the world.
Celery is first recorded as a plant in France in 1623 and was probably developed either there or in Italy. Its seed was brought to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the 1850s from Scotland, and first cultivated as a serious crop in America by Dutch farmers who settled in the area. Before long the succulent novelty was being peddled to train passengers who paused at the Kalamazoo station. From there, it spread by rail as a snack food.
Today, celery is a vegetable that everyone eats. Some people love its crisp, mild taste, but for many, celery is simply there. It’s something you use to transport cream cheese or onion dip to the mouth, a sort of edible cutlery. But imagine cooking without it. What would turkey stuffing be without celery…or chicken salad, potato salad, and egg salad? There must always be a bunch in the fridge to brown with onions and carrots as a base for stock or a soup.
Although celery is mostly water, it is an excellent source of Vitamin C and several other active components that promote health, including phalides, which may help lower cholesterol, and coumarins, that may be useful in cancer prevention. It also contains Vitamins A, B-complex and E, is full of fiber and almost absent of calories. In fact the process of eating consumes more
calories than are contained in the celery itself, netting a negative calorie meal or snack!
Refrigerate your celery as soon as possible or it will go limp. Place in a plastic bag and store in the hydrator drawer of the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Most people take our staple foods for granted, strolling by them in the market, or tossing them into the cart with so little awareness of what kind of trail led them to us. As you enjoy your Green Earth farm organic celery, imagine it’s 1890 and you’re on a train pulling into Kalamazoo. Someone hands you a green stalk. It’s so crunchy and full of moisture, so alive, so new.
Sources: Adapted from ww.rootsweb.com, aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu and www.whfoods.com.