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Sometimes for lunch, I just eat a few celery stalks stuffed with pimento cheese spread. After finishing up this bunch, which was still fresh and crisp, I looked back at my grocery receipt and saw that it had been in the refrigerator for 16 days.
To keep it crisp, I wrap a wet folded paper towel around the bottom of the stalk and secure it with a rubber band. I keep the stalk of celery wrapped in a plastic bag. I change the paper towel and bag when needed.
Now, I'm going to see how long this next bunch will last.
If you unwrap celery when you get home from the store, then wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate, it will last for several weeks. I always had celery go bad very quickly until I found this out. Now it keeps until it's used.
Source: A friend told me to do this.
By quilterj from Columbus, NE
If you like celery be sure to wrap it up in foil when you put it away in the fridge, it'll last for ever, weeks anyway!
Janet from Bangor ME
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!
It's easy to dry your own celery flakes to be used in salads, tuna salad or whatever recipe.
This guide contains uses for celery leaves. There are a number of ways these leaves can be used for additional flavor.
Celery tends to quickly go limp in the refrigerator. Keep it crisp by rolling it in two sheets of paper towels, then a layer of aluminum foil. Slip the rolled-up celery back in the plastic bag it came in, then tie with a twist tie.
To keep your celery from going bad after you remove what you need from the stalk, wrap the remaining celery in tinfoil (twist tinfoil ends) and keep it in your refrigerator. It will last a long time
This is a guide about storing celery. Storing celery and keeping it crisp is possible.
This is a guide about freezing celery. Often when we buy celery at the market there are leftovers. Although it will no longer be crisp, celery can be frozen to use in cooking.
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I recently read something about keeping celery fresh much longer by wrapping it in foil. What I missed was. Do I take the plastic cover off of it? And do I wash it before wrapping it?
Thanks,
Judy from Birmingham, AL
I work in produce, the way the store keeps lettuce,celery,and other veggies fresh is to crisp them. When you first get them, trim off the root, let sit for 5min in warm water, put in frig and then everyday we trim off a little bit of more root, and rinse with cold water. or let sit in cold water. But at home i crisp my lettuce when i first get it and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap to let no air in and leave it til i need it, i then only cut root if i use it again and rewrap and my lettuce lasts for around 2 weeks. good luck!
When I buy celery I break the ribs off & wash them real good.Trim the bottom part ,I then wet enough paper towel to wrap around it,put it in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.It stays crisp & fresh for about two weeks.
I wash and cut up the celery into the sizes I want, then wrap tightly in foil, I put the foil in a plastic bag. The celery has lasted much longer that a few weeks.
I trim and wash celery, dry it and wrap it in a paper towel and then place it in a clean plastic bag. It keeps in the fridge for 3 weeks and is still crisp and good.
I tried this and it really did work well. I removed the plastic and wrapped the celery, intact, in aluminum foil and then kept it in the crisper in the bottom of the fridge. I didn't wash it first, I just pulled off stalks as needed & washed them then. Did keep the celery nice & crisp & fresh for quite some time.
Take the celery out of the plastic bag. Sometimes I remove the leaves, sometimes I don't. I don't wash it before wrapping in foil.
tupperware had a container for celery, it was a long rectangular box one with a lid, and had a slitted plastic footed, holder (which held it up from water) which help your celery to keep fresh, water was added to the bottom of container not touching the veg. it keeps it for quite awhile. Hope this helps. keep lid on it in refrigerator
Yes Take out of plastic bag. No need to wash. I have been doing this for years, Can keep up to 5 weeks.
Wash the celery. Slice into sticks. Store in a glass container with water. The celery will remain fresh and crisp. My mother used to do this with celery and carrots so that we had healthy snacks always at the ready.
take a paper towel, fold and refold to get a square the size of the celery bottom. soak towel in cold water, place on root end, return to plastic bag, wrap well in foil and it will keep very well
I read in your newsletter about wrapping celery in foil to keep it crisp. Thanks for the tip. I have a question though, I have read elsewhere about cutting the celery. Do I need to cut the bottom off the bunch of celery before I wrap it? Thanks.
Darlene in Mississauga
I found that if you don't cut the celery at all it will last longer. I've trimmed washed and cut and it only lasted short of a week.
When I just wrapped it - it lasted over two weeks.
I always soak my celery in water and a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide. I take the stalks apart, clean well, and cut them in convient lengths. Then let air dry on a towel, or help the drying along with the towel and wrap the simular sizes together in alum foil. Usually have 5 or 6 wrapped bundels from one celery package. and I only take one small package out of refrigator when I need celery. As long as it is good and dry when I wrap it lasts a long time. I used some yesterday that I bought 3 weeks ago. Joy @ www.aloetherapy.com
Thank you this will help. I have a guinea pig and she loves carrots and celery and the celery was going limp before she would eat it all.
Thanks for the help.
I watched a cooking show, and they said to always cut celery on an angle, and the celery will stay crisp when cooking.
You can always refresh it in a glass of ice water.
I wrap the whole stalk of celery in paper towel and place it in those green bags. I swear by these bags. I use them for all my veggies and the brown ones for my bread.
What is the best way to store cut pieces of celery in the refrigerator?
Wrap in aluminum foil.
Trim the celery, and store upright in a vase or pitcher with water in the bottom. Put stem ends down in the water.
I have two celery bags that I can store the stalks in, however after awhile they still go limp? What can I do about this?
By Kent
I have had success storing celery in aluminum foil. Just make sure the stalk is dry, and wrap it completely in heavy duty foil, and store in the refrigerator. Each time you remove a rib, just re-wrap the stalk. I have been able to keep celery fresh and crisp for up to 3-4 weeks using this method.
What is the secret to keeping celery fresh to the last stalk? We (my spouse and I) found out that eating celery every day seems to help with lowering blood pressure. Our only problem is keeping it nice and crisp to the last stalk.
By Kathryen from northern Virginia, VA
Dry the stalk of celery well. Wrap it completely in aluminum foil, molding the foil to the celery as tightly as possible. Each time you use some celery, just re-wrap the rest in the foil and put back into the refrigerator. I have kept a stalk of celery fresh for as long as 3-4 weeks using this method.
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Celery will keep for weeks if it's tightly wrapped in aluminum foil. Wash it and dry it as soon as you get it home from the store, then seal the stalk in foil. You'll be surprised at how long it'll last!
By julievojo from SE Minnesota
I store my bunch of celery in the green bags, clipped closed with a clothespin and I wrap the bunch of celery in paper towel(s) to keep it from sweating on inside of bag. I love the green bags! Saved me a lot of veggies. (04/01/2010)
By Indianone
Extend the life and quality of celery by wrapping tightly in foil before placing it in the crisper of your refrigerator. It lasts for a very long time.
By TxTiket2Ride2 from Fort Worth, TX
I have been doing this ever since I read about it about 2 year ago and it definitely works. (09/04/2009)
By blavergne
Aluminum foil also works well for lettuce - try it and see! (09/05/2009)
Beware! Did you know that aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer's disease? It's possibly not a good idea to store your food in it if you are concerned. (09/21/2009)
By merry50
I read a tip about refreshing wilted celery. My tip is, don't let it wilt. You can buy one or two stalks of celery, use what you need at the time, wash all of it, chop some of the coarser parts up and freeze to add to soups and stews when needed, but cut the rest into about 4 inch pieces and wrap bunches of it tightly in aluminum foil. It will keep a long time in the fridge. I have had some last more than three weeks, and still be crisp enough to use in a salad.
By Loretta from Theodore, AL
I have learned that if you fully wrap your bunch of celery (unwashed and uncut with the twist tie removed) in foil and store it in the fridge it will last longer. I just used the last of some I stored a little over 4 weeks ago! I like to keep it on hand but used to end up throwing out about half as I did not get it used up before it started going bad. I know you can freeze it for cooking but I love having it fresh also.
By Mumsey from San Antonio, TX
If you usually use celery in soups or casseroles buy it when it is cheaper and chop it up and bag it and place in the freezer. No blanching necessary. You always have a supply of chopped celery on hand when you are in a hurry. (08/19/2008)
By Katydid, Australia
You need to get those green bags that are advertised on TV and in local stores. They are great. Celery, peppers, and lettuce last for weeks. Do not wash before you store. I always used the tin foil method until I tried the green bags. Just put them in the bag, fold the top and place in vegie drawer. For what it's worth,
Carolyn from NC (08/19/2008)
I have been doing this for a few years and it works really well. But when I try to tell others to do it they think I am crazy, oh well, their loss! (08/26/2008)
By animal_cmh
Source: Its a tip that came in our local neighborhood magazine, the Bowester.
By Barb from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I also wrap my celery in aluminum foil. Have to agree that the celery stays much fresher and doesn't get wilted. (02/27/2008)
By MCW
