CELERY
The celery will be arriving in bulk bags already washed and cut into 4” sticks.
Serving size is two stalks, also called ribs, per student per serving. Each bag will have
enough celery to provide approximately 56 students with a single serving.
AT A GLANCE
Celery is a strong smelling 30 to 50 cm (12” to 16”) herb plant consisting of many strong vertical leaf stalks, rather than one main stem.
All of the plant is edible; stalks, leaves, roots and seeds
Celery is a “vascular plant” meaning that it can internally transport water.
The threads or spines that run along the outer edge of the stalk are its
roadways to carry nutrition up the plant to the leaves.
Stalk Celery
Celery has one of the highest sodium contents of all the vegetables and is
a great way to balance your electrolytes after exercise or illness. It is said
to help bring energy up, rehydrate and is good if one is feeling low.
WHERE IS IT GROWN?
BC Celery is grown in Cawston, Grand Forks, Armstrong, McBride, Prince George, lower Vancouver Island
and the Lower Mainland. It must be started indoors, in greenhouses, then transferred outside once the
temperatures remain at 13C and the danger of prolonged cold has passed. Fresh local celery can be found
at local farmer’s markets from July to September. In Canada, over 800 hectares are devoted to celery
production, mainly in Québec.
There are three main types of celery:
CELERY
Celeriac
(Apium graveolens L. var. dulce) Known as stalk celery.
Grown in North America and temperate Europe for its succulent petioles or leaf stalk.
CELERIAC (Apium graveolens L. var. rapaceum) Known as celery root or knob celery.
Grown in Northern and Eastern Europe for its enlarged root (or hypocotyl.)
SMALLAGE (Apium graveolens L. var. secalinum) Known as Leaf or Chinese celery.
Grown in Asia and Mediterranean regions for its leaves and seeds.
Smallage
HISTORY NOTES
Celery originates from the Mediterranean basin. Originally only the seeds of the plant were
used to treat colds, flues, digestion, arthritis, liver and spleen ailments. Woven garlands of
wild celery leaves were found in the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun who died in 1323 BC.
Early celery was a strong smelling, small, leafy plant and was primarily used as an herb.
That is until the Italians started to domesticate and cultivate them for longer solid stems and
a less pungent flavour in the 17th century. After many years of selection and elimination and by using the
farming practice called “Blanching,” they managed to remove the overly bitter flavour and the hard fiberous
stalks. Blanching is the method where the farmer pushes dirt up several centimeters around the base of
the plant to protect them from the sunlight stopping photosynthesis. This keeps the stalks white and gently
flavoured. The same methods are still used today.
Sharing the Goodness
From Close to Home
INTERESTING FACTS
Celery was considered a holy plant in ancient Greece. Crowns (stephanos) of
celery leaf were worn by the winning athletes of the Nemean Games,
one of the four Panhellenic Games, in the 6th century BC.
At the turn of last century, Asian immigrants located in the northern Okanagan
area, began growing celery and Chinese greens in their newly drained farmlands. This fertile black soil was so prolific that Armstrong became known as
“Celery City”
Greek pottery image of the
crowning of an athlete
Celery absorbs odors from other commodities such as apples and onions,
therefore, it should not be stored near them.
The Celery Root plant has small hollow stalks on the upper part of the plant. These can be used as
natural drinking straws. Cut the top and bottom off the rib, rinse, then used in the serving of vegetable
juices or soups. The liquid will acquire a light flavouring of celery as it passes through the stalk.
URBAN MYTH: Celery has negative calories
Does it take more calories to eat and digest a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with?
Let’s think about the math. One rib of celery has about 6 calories. One hour of chewing burns 5
calories, AND as you know it won’t take an hour to chew one stalk. If you took a minute to chew, it
would be 0.08 calories. Celery is 95 percent water, however, the rest is mostly cellulose, which is
difficult for humans to digest. The body would expend some energy metabolizing celery, say 2 Cal.
0.08 + 2 = 2.08 which is less than 6 calories
this myth is busted
HEALTH BENEFITS: Feeling Stressed-Out? Take it out on some celery!
Not only will the “crunch” factor help but the nutritional property will help lower blood
pressure. It works as an anti-inflammatory and is an excellent source of vitamin k,
A, B6, B1 and B2. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, luteolin, potassium (found
in the leaves), foliate, tryptophan, molybdenum, manganese, calcium, magnesium and
phosphorous.
Celery seeds yield a valuable volatile oil used in the perfume and pharmaceutical industries. Celery seed is used therapeutically for bladder and kidney problems and for
joint pain in arthritis and rheumatism sufferers. Celery oil has some sedative effects
having a calming effect on the nervous system.
Eat celery to help guard against these ailments:
Alzheimer
High blood pressure
Insomnia
Obesity
Rheumatism
Stomach illness
Tumors
Urinary and bladder imbalance
LOGISTICS NOTE
BC celery is in season during school’s summer vacation, so we have sourced the produce for the Program from California. However, when ours is in season, we ask that you remember this sample and try our home-grown produce
at that time.
Abbotsford Programs Office
BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation
Toll–free Phone: 1.866.517-6225
Fax 604.854-6068
www.aitc.ca/bc