Celery Flavors Thanksgiving Dinner

Although celery is less evident than turkey or pumpkin pie, its flavor adds much to the dressing or salad that may accompany dinner. Celery was not a part of early Thanksgivings, and was not cultivated in American gardens until the early 1800's. Today, it is one of our most popular vegetables. Its parent, wild celery, was native to the Mediterranean area, and was considered a medicinal plant by early civilizations. It was first mentioned by the Greek poet Homer in 850 B.S. Medieval herbals promoted celery for soothing nerves, useful in hysteria and promoting restfulness and sleep.

Even though these properties may be questionable, celery today is considered a healthful food and a low calorie snack food. Although celery is now well known, a close relative, celeriac or celery root, is not. Celeriac forms a large, solid edible tuber just below the soil surface. The leaf stalks of this plant are hollow and inedible as were those of wild celery. The large root is peeled, and cut into strips to be used similarly to celery since it has the same flavor.

In our climate, celery is one of the most difficult vegetables to grow in the home garden. It is a cool season crop but, unlike lettuce or cabbage, requires a long season of cool temperature. In the south where winters are mild, it can be grown as a winter or early spring crop. Farther north, where summers are cool, it may be grown as a summer or fall crop. In a climate where temperatures get too high, quality and growth are reduced, and the product is not like the celery we are accustomed to buying in the store.

Celery grows best on muck or sandy loam soils, and does not like heavy clay soils. Unless soil is already very high in organic matter, it should be heavily treated with decomposed manure or compost. About three or four bushels to each 100 square feet of planting bed will be beneficial. Work these materials well into the soil to a depth of seven or eight inches. Celery must not suffer from lack of either moisture or nutrients. In addition to adding manure and compost, add fertilizers such a 5-10-10 or 12-12-12 at about three to four pounds per 100 square feel.

Moisture must be constant, although drainage must also be good. Therefore, irrigation is essential during drought periods, or even short day spells. Sidedressing with a high nitrogen fertilizer several times during the growth season is also very helpful for maintaining vigorous growth. In spring, started plants should be purchased for garden planting. If they are not available locally, seeds may be sown indoors or in coldframes to produce plants for garden planting.

Another step in celery production is called blanching, a technique used to reduce the green color in the stems. This step normally takes 10 days to two weeks. Several methods for blanching might be used. Most varieties will require that the stems be tied together before this is done. Other varieties will grow fairly up right making tying unnecessary. Simplest method of blanching is to pile soil around the leaf stems allowing only the leafy tops of the plants to show. Do not let soil fall into the heart of the plant.

Another method is to wrap the individual plants in several thicknesses of newspaper. Boards may also be set along each side of the row and supported with stakes or soil, allowing only the plant tops to show above them. With luck a satisfactory crop may be produced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celery