In praise of leaf Celery.

[Snadger]

Just received my packet of leaf Celery i had ordered. I grew Kintsai last year as I have never had much jpy with the celery family.
I have grown normal celery (got decimated with slugs), self blanching celery (stringy) and turnip rooted celariac (tiny turnips).
What I wanted was the celery flavour which i love for soups stews. I was very surprised at how much Kintsai leaf was needed to give a good celery flavour (just a few leaves). It was supposed to be a perennial celery but wasn't.
Anyway, I'll be sowing leaf celery soon and enjoying the celery flavour without the pit falls. Simples!

[veggiechicken]

Have you tried lovage?

[Jay-ell]

Or Scots lovage as regular lovage grows tall but Scots lovage is quite short. Both are perennial so you just need a clump somewhere

[Snadger]

^^^^^ I might give both a try at some time but this year it will once again be the leaf celery I adore. I always though of lovage as a herb? If so I may be able to pick up a plant in the local GC for to try.

[Penellype]

I've grown KinTsai (Chinese celery) for the past couple of winters and find it very good. I tend to add the leaves to salads and it adds a non-brassica flavour in the winter when most of the salads are from the brassica family. It does start to bolt in the spring and I also find it gets attacked by aphids so its usefulness declines from about February onwards.

[Jeremy424]

Celery is a tough one. I've tried celeriac myself and did actually get something to eat, but they weren't the huge size you get in the shops; about 6-7cm diameter and mainly roots. tasted great though. Overall, I wouldn't recommend them for the space and time they take up.

Celery leaf I've had some success with, but not until I got frustrated when my potted one bolted and tossed the contents to the side of the garden path. Anyway, I have loads of little celery herb plants there growing as weeds that self-seed and now the only thing I need to be careful of is leaving it to get too old before picking (becomes tough and bitter). They grow best right between the edge of the path and the earth. No one else in my family likes celery leaf, but I use it in soups most of the time or in sandwiches with chicken.

[veggiechicken]

Interesting blurb - well, I think so!

Celery, 'Cutting Leaf Celery' Seeds

[Snadger]

Interesting blurb - well, I think so!

Celery, 'Cutting Leaf Celery' Seeds

It is, and i had already read it previously! Singing its praises, just like me!