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Freezing Celery


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 858 Posts
March 8, 2010
Freezing Celery

Selecting High-Quality Celery:

Celery loses its crisp texture when frozen, but it still suitable for use in cooked dishes. Select crisp, green, tender stalks, free from coarse strings. The ribs should be firm and rigid, snapping crisply when broken in half.
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Preparing for Freezing:

Wash thoroughly, trim and cut stalks into l-inch lengths. Stalks can also be left whole for tray freezing.

Blanching Time:

Water-blanch for 3 minutes. Cool promptly, drain and package leaving no headspace. Seal and freeze. Celery stalks can also be frozen without blanching.

Best Freezing Method(s):

  • Tray Packs: Clean and prepare celery stalks. Lay in a single layer of chopped pieces or whole stalks on cookie sheets and place them in the freezer. When fully frozen (12 to 24 hours), portion them into suitable containers and freeze. Leave no headspace.

  • Dry Packs: Transfer blanched or raw celery directly into suitable containers for freezing. Leave no headspace.

Suitable Packaging:

Freezer containers should be moisture and vapor resistant and should not be prone to cracking or breaking at low temperatures. Containers should provide protection against absorbing flavors or odors and should be easy to label. Suitable packaging for freezing celery includes freezer-grade plastic bags, rigid plastic containers or glass containers and heavy duty-aluminum foil.
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Maximum Storage Time:

10 to 12 months at 0ºF.

Thawing:

Add frozen celery directly to dishes while cooking.

Tips & Shortcuts:

Tray freezing is almost always preferable to Dry Packs because vegetables will not freeze together in clumps, making it easy to access the precise amount you need without thawing out a whole container.

Refrigerating Celery:

Wrap celery stalks in a damp paper towel and then aluminum foil to keep it fresh in the refrigerator 4 weeks.
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12 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

July 17, 2011

Can you freeze fresh celery? I buy it by the bunch, but cannot use all of it before it is just not usable. Can you process and freeze?

By Lisa T.


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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 138 Feedbacks
July 17, 20111 found this helpful
Best Answer

You can wash, slice and freeze celery but it won't be crunchy when thawed. It is fine to use in soups or stews but no good for using in tuna salad or something like that.

 
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October 5, 2017

I have read through the posts, but have not seen my question. I froze some cut up celery. After thawing it out, I see it has some browning to it. Will it still be safe to use for my stew? Thank you.

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
October 5, 20170 found this helpful
Best Answer
  • Lettuce can be frozen fresh or blanched. Possibly the way your celery was frozen or the length of time frozen could be the reason for brown spots.
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  • Some health sites state the brown spots may be a fungus but that seems to be dealing with fresh celery.
  • The brown spots may not be a health hazard but they may have an off taste and may actually be a little spoiled.
  • I would not recommend using the parts with brown spots in your stew.
  • Try substituting another vegetable or spices instead.
  • Here is a very good site with instructions on caring and/or freezing celery.
  • www.thebalance.com/can-you-freeze-celery-1388395
 
October 14, 20170 found this helpful
Best Answer

It is safe to use in your stew. I often freeze celery tops and leaves for this purpose. I, also, freeze diced onion in 1/2 cup portions.

 
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August 28, 2011

Can I, and if so, how do I freeze celery?

By Guy


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August 29, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

I would not suggest freezing celery because of the high moisture content. It will be brown and mushy when you defrost it. However, celery is a great candidate for dehydrating. Slice it thin and follow the instructions on the dehydrator. You can dry the leaves as well.

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Dehydrated celery should keep for a long time. Use in soups and sauces that require simmering or boiling. The dried leaves are an interesting herb similar to parsley.

 
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January 18, 2011

Can you freeze celery and if so for how long?

By Sharon Rafferty from East Hampton, NY

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Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 450 Feedbacks
January 19, 20110 found this helpful

Yes. I do it all the time. I wash, dry and chop the celery and freeze it in plastic bags. When I need some to cook with I can help my self.

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If you are not going to cook with it you better not freeze it because it will be limp when it thaws.

 
January 19, 20110 found this helpful

I rarely use celery fresh, so after I buy it and wash it. I chop it all up, saute the entire head then freeze in a bag in the freezer. When I want some for chicken/rice soup, just pull it out and knock some off, it will be frozen in a lump most likely. It keeps quite a while in the freezer 2-3 months at least.

 
January 20, 20111 found this helpful

I grow about 6 bunches of celery in my garden every year and I put the excess in the freezer to be used in soups and stews over the winter. Not good for salad.

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Just wash and remove as much moisture as possible, cut in small pieces, put in freezer container, will keep several months, enjoy!

 
 
January 22, 20110 found this helpful

I bo't a huge bunch of celery and wasn't using it fast enough. Since it was Fall and my baseboard heaters were coming on I cut the celery into 1/8" pieces and threaded them onto a long thread with a needle and hung them above the heater. I spaced them so none were touching each other. They were completely dry in about 4 days and took up no space at all in a sterile jar. After two days and again after that it's wise to check for moisture.

 
January 27, 20110 found this helpful

I rarely use celery but like to have it on hand when I impulsively want to make a soup. I discovered dried celery flakes and it's pretty powerful when added to a soup. My freezer space is at a premium so it works for me!

 
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January 17, 2012

Do you have to blanch sliced celery? Can you just freeze celery that's cut into 1/2 inch pieces?

By Lis F.

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January 17, 20120 found this helpful

Yes. Wash it and dry it thoroughly (so ice crystals do not form on it after freezing, which makes it deteriorate faster) and try and get as much air out of the container you are freezing it in, before freezing. Peppers and onions can also be frozen in this manner.

 
January 17, 20120 found this helpful

Oh, I made myself unclear. No, you do not have to blanch(e?) first. Just wash and dry.

 

Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 216 Posts
January 17, 20121 found this helpful

I bought celery when it was cheap around Thanksgiving. I washed it, made sure it was real dry, chopped it up, and froze it. I put it in pint bags, but didn't stuff the bags. That way, when it was frozen good and hard, I just smack the bags on the counter, and it breaks up, and I use just as much as I want. I never blanch it. It works out real well, and when I cook with it, it looks and tastes and cooks like fresh. I always have better luck freezing veggies when I don't blanch them, and we are talking about 40 years of doing it.

 
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September 13, 2011

How do I keep celery fresh and crisp, and freeze it at the same time?

By Stacie

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September 14, 20110 found this helpful

Celery freezes pretty well, but of course, it is not going to look like or taste (same texture mainly) like it does fresh. Wash it well, but make sure it is very dry before freezing, water crystals that form will deteriorate it as times goes on. Onions, green peppers also can be frozen without blanching. Freezing is a convenient way to add these things to meatloaf, soups, etc. while not necessarily having them fresh on hand.

 
September 14, 20110 found this helpful

Oh, also, pack it tightly leaving as little air as possible inside the freezing container. This applies to everything you freeze.

 

Gold Post Medal for All Time! 846 Posts
September 15, 20110 found this helpful

Because of the water content in celery it will never be crisp again once frozen and will only be suitable for cooking. You can freeze it blanched or unblanched but blanching will stop the enzymes that cause quality to deteriorate in the freezer.

 
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July 2, 2012

I always have celery left over and want to know how to peserve it for later use without it going bad. Can I freeze it?

By Joyce

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 138 Feedbacks
July 3, 20120 found this helpful

Certainly you can freeze it but it will not be crunchy when thawed. It won't be suitable for using in tuna or potato salad, for example, but it will be fine in a soup or stew.

 
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January 30, 2012

Can you freeze celery?

By Sandra

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 255 Posts
January 30, 20120 found this helpful

Yes, as you can buy it frozen in the store. I have done it twice, I first cut it, then blanched it, pat it dry and then froze it in a ziplog bag. When it thaws, it isn't as crisp,so would not work for salads, but works great for stews and soups.

 
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Archives

ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.

January 18, 2011

Can you freeze celery? If so, how and how long does it keep in the freezer?

 
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March 1, 2010

Unlike what I have heard and read, I cut up my celery and place on a flat pan, like a cookie pan, and spread it out to freeze it.

 
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November 30, 2005

I got a bargain on celery today. Can I freeze it? I will only be using it in casserols and cooked foods. Also, how can I give it a long refrigerator life? I don't use it often.

 
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