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| Celeriac in early June |
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| Celeriac in August |
Celeriac is a variety of celery that produces large, flavorful roots and much smaller stalks than traditional celery. We grew it for the first time this year and it grew without special attention and was free of pest issues. During the growing season, we used the foliage in place of parsley and it added a nice flavor to our recipes.
We started from seed inside in late February (8 weeks before the last frost). We planted them outside in mid-May. The only peculiarity of celeriac is that it is biennial. So if it's planted outside too early and experiences several cold nights in a row, it can be tricked into thinking it has gone through a summer/winter cycle and is now in year two. In year two, biennials put energy into flowering instead of root growth. Try to plant it late enough in the season to avoid multiple sub-50 degree nights and you should do well. Keep it well watered and somewhat weed free.
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| Celeriac in September, nearing harvest time |
Celeriac appreciates cold nights, but because much of the root is above ground, it should be harvested before a killing frost (28 degrees). Harvest by pulling the root, cutting off the greenery, and shaking off excess dirt.
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| Harvested celeriac root |
We dried our celeriac for easy addition to soups and other recipes. Other storage options include blanching (as described below) and then freezing or you can store the whole root in a root cellar environment (~55 degrees and dry).
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How's it taste?
ReplyDeleteLike celery. Seriously. We made some chicken and dumplings the other day and sprinkled some in. Next year I'm going to try some fresh cut up into chunks in soup or a creamy chicken type dish.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty cool. I'm assuming that if you hadn't dehydrated it that it would store in root form like other root veggies? I've always wanted to try celeriac but just never seemed to have room for it. May have to try it this year.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first year we've grown it, but other people seem to have had success storing it in a root cellar for 3-4 months. I think you should grow some if just for fresh use. It grew really easily and no disease or insect bothered it.
ReplyDeleteFor several years I have grown vegetables , always more than we can eat setting a lot out on the street for the neighbours to help themselves. Beans,carrots and most other veggies go quickly but Celeriac does not move. People need to be educated in the use of it. I have to admit , they are rather ugly to look at but to flavor soups and stews the are just great. I slice the root about 1/4 inch thick and peel the slab. This is easier and avoids the lumps and bumps of the root. My wife wasn't keen on the vegetable at first but now it is indispensable in our home cooking
ReplyDeleteI agree! We recently made oyster dressing for Thanksgiving, which called for spinach and celery stalks. We had neither, but substituted the last of our fresh Swiss chard greens and stalks. Then we added some powdered celeriac to add the celery flavor. It got rave reviews!
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