Prolonging the Life of Celery

Although I do not eat raw celery, I try to always keep it on hand for cooking. Lately I have noticed that another celery option is available in the grocery stores... pre-cut celery stalks. My husband brought these home for me once, and I was disappointed in their brief fridge life. I can't imagine that there is any benefit to buying these pre-cut pieces which are more expensive and which do not last as long. I buy the whole celery and can keep it for quite a while by doing the following:

First, when selecting your celery, look in the back of the produce case. A produce employee should have rotated the celery when putting out more, meaning that the freshest bunches should be in the back (such as when choosing milk). Pick a tight bunch that has no sign of browning or dry tips. I store mine in the bottom of the fridge in the plastic bag it came in.

When I begin using my celery, I peel off one individual stalk at a time. This keeps the other stalks intact and doesn't leave open, cut ends of the remaining stalks which will lose moisture.

My mother "always" peeled her celery when cooking. I never do and have never had any problems. I remember watching her laboriously peeling each stalk, creating waste and losing time. She has eaten food I have cooked with celery and has never noticed that I don't peel!

I use every part of each individual stalk right down to the very end, then I give this bottom piece to the rabbits or guinea pig. I definitely use the leaves, as they are full of flavor.

As time passes, the leaves on the remaining stalks on the bunch in the fridge will begin to dry out. Right as this begins to happen, I start to cut the tops off and use them for cooking, leaving the rest of each stalk attached to the base. Doing this, I can extend the life of the celery further, as wilting seems to begin from the leaves downward.

If I know I will not be cooking any other dishes with the celery and it is starting to look less fresh, I chop it up and put it in a baggie in the freezer to use for soup. Frozen celery works very well in most dishes. Nothing is ever wasted except for the very end... which of course isn't wasted because it goes to a pet!