General Description/History

• Related to carrots, fennel, parsnips and parsley
• Has umbrella shaped flowers
• Long pale green stalks
• Darker green broad leaves
• 40-50cm in height.

Select bunches with a good tight formation. Leaves should be fresh and branches “stalks) should be very upright and snap crisply and easily. Avoid small hard stalks which are frequently very stringy, woody and too strong in flavour. Brown or cracked bunches should be avoided.

Wash stalk and cut into lengths to use in dips and fill with peanut butter or cream cheese. Celery finely sliced is great in soups, salads and stir-fries.

Celery is biennial taking two seasons to produce seeds and complete its life-cycle. During its first season it grows vegetatively and during its second season the main stem elongates and the branches produce a shrubby plant. Because celery requires a long cool growing season with cool nights, temperature is very important.

Plants need generous feeding to grow quickly, otherwise stems become course and stringy.

Originally, celery was a wild plant found in the marshes of Europe, North Africa and southern Asia where ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans considered celery as a gift from the gods, capable of rejuvenating the human body and mind. In Rome, a stalk of celery was thought to be a cure for both constipation and hangover. In Egypt, the stalks were used to cure all masculine dysfunctions while the tuberous root was prescribed for female disorders.

Nutritional Value

A moderate source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and dietary fibre. 50kJ/100g.

Storage/Handling

0°C and 90-100% relative humidity.

Consumer Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper.

Season: 

Botanical Name: Apium graveolens var. dulce (Umbelliferae)

Alternative Names: 

Availablity: 

Growing Areas: 

QLD – Gatton, Stanthorpe, Toowoomba NSW Gosford, Hunter Valley, Windsor
VIC – Melbourne Metropolitan Area
SA – Adelaide Plains
WA – Perth Metropolitan Outer Areas