native to: the most common variety comes from Europe and the Mediterranean, but there is no clear single source of all celeries
in season here: August (ish)
Celery is another member of the Umbelliferae family, related to carrots, fennel, and parsley. It's been around for ages; the pharaoh Tutankhamun was buried with some, and it's mentioned in the Iliad. Celery is a long-season crop, needing cool weather and lots of water, and is often a winter or early spring crop, although around here it mostly appears in farmers' markets in late summer or early fall. In the U.S., we mostly get the Pascal variety of celery, which is light green, but there are white, gold, and red varieties as well. Other varieties are grown for their roots (celeriac) or leaves.
Celery is one of the "Dirty Dozen"; they get a lot of chemicals dumped on them when grown conventionally and contain a lot of pesticide residues. This is a good time to seek out organic options. Wash celery as you use it to keep it fresher. Freezing celery will make it mushy, but if you keep a bag of vegetable trimmings in the freezer for making broth, the leaves and tiny core stalks are a great addition to it.
Celery is another of those low-calorie, high-fiber foods, useful to dieters and helpful in detox and purification regimens. It's a great hydrator, with a lot of water and electrolytes, and is gaining popularity as an alkalizing food.
Celery is a traditional remedy for high blood pressure, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that improve both blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Its flavonoid and polyphenol antioxidants fight age-related health issues and its dozen-plus varieties of antioxidant help mitigate inflammation, making it useful against things like arthritis, IBS, skin problems, and urinary tract infections. Celery can even help treat ulcers. It's a good source of vitamins B6, C, and K, potassium, folate, beta-carotene, molybdenum, and manganese, but its greatest value is as a source of antioxidant phytonutrients. The seeds are also edible, with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Celery has a fair amount of sodium, about 35 mg. per stalk; if you're watching your salt intake you don't have to avoid celery but should be aware of how much you're eating. Allergies to celery are rare, but can be especially severe.
Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw celery
label-style nutrition information for cooked celery
Dr. Axe
World's Healthiest Foods
Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.
