How to dry celery leaves
Aromatic celery greens can be dried either in twigs or leaves, or in chopped form. To do this, you need to sort out the grass, eliminating limp and yellowed leaves. After this, the celery is washed in cool water. It is better to pour the liquid into a bowl than to use running water, this way the entire surface of the curly branches will be washed. Next, the bundle is laid out on paper towels and allowed to absorb excess moisture. If you decide to chop celery greens for harvesting, chop the leaves with a knife into fairly large pieces.
You can use the oven to dry. To do this, it is heated to 40 degrees, the greens are placed on a baking sheet lined with cooking paper, the door is left ajar so that the grass does not bake, and it dries out. Leaves should be checked every hour for readiness.
You can also air dry the leaves. The greens are hung in bunches with the crown down or distributed on a bed of clean cloth or paper in a thin layer. Place the litter in a ventilated place, possibly in a draft. Air flows will help quickly remove moisture from the leaves. Ideally, you should use gauze stretched at a height. By airing on both sides, the spice will dry faster. The greens need to be stirred periodically to ensure even drying. This method will take about 2 weeks.
It is important not to keep the herb in dust or near sources of strong odors so that this does not affect the quality of the spice. Also, do not use newspaper as bedding. Printing ink is very harmful to health and should not come into contact with food.
For quick processing, greens can be placed in the microwave. You need to keep the leaves in the chamber for about 2 minutes and check for readiness. The procedure may need to be repeated.
How to dry leaf celery
Product preparation
Celery greens are sorted, getting rid of yellowed and wilted leaves. Then it is rinsed to remove dust and dirt in cool water. To get rid of excess liquid, lay the grass on paper towels and dry.
You can dry greens in whole branches, individual leaves or in crushed form.
Drying methods
Greens can be dried in four different ways:
- On air. The greens are laid out on flat plates or racks and put in a dark place, preferably in a draft. To prevent celery from rotting, it needs to be tossed quite often. The twigs can also be dried in bunches by hanging them on a rope with their foliage down.
- In the oven. Greens should be dried at the minimum temperature of the device, with the door open. Celery is placed on baking sheets in a thin layer. After every hour in the oven, the product should be checked for readiness.
- In an electric dryer. The greens are dried using a special mode designed for drying herbs. The temperature on it is programmed no higher than 40 degrees, which allows you to preserve as much as possible all the beneficial properties and aromatic substances.
- In the microwave. This method is only suitable for a small amount of greens, and requires constant monitoring of the cooking process. The chopped herb is placed on paper plates and placed in the oven. The power of the unit is set at 700 W, and the exposure time is 2 minutes. After the beep, the celery is checked for readiness. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Watch this video from Excellent Farming on how to air dry celery greens.
How to dry celery root at home
Celery roots are dried into strips or slices. Wash and peel the fruit, scrape out any irregularities. After this, the root needs to be crushed:
- grate on a coarse grater;
- cut into strips;
- peel into slices using a vegetable peeler;
- cut into thin rings.
The prepared root is dried in the usual ways:
- on air;
- in the spirit of the closet;
- in an electric dryer.
In order for the spice to dry correctly and retain its vitamins, you need to choose a temperature of up to 60 degrees, distribute the product evenly among the sheets and periodically stir or turn over. The oven door is left open to allow air circulation, otherwise the vegetable will bake in its own juices.
During drying, the root is not salted or other seasonings are used. Drying time can take about 10-12 hours, this will depend on the size of the slices. Thinly sliced celery will dry out quickly and will keep for a long time. Thick slices may not dry out from the inside. This product may rot and have to be thrown away, so be careful.
How to dry leaf celery
Celery greens are sorted, getting rid of yellowed and wilted leaves. Then it is rinsed to remove dust and dirt in cool water. To get rid of excess liquid, lay the grass on paper towels and dry.
You can dry greens in whole branches, individual leaves or in crushed form.
Greens can be dried in four different ways:
- On air. The greens are laid out on flat plates or racks and put in a dark place, preferably in a draft. To prevent celery from rotting, it needs to be tossed quite often. The twigs can also be dried in bunches by hanging them on a rope with their foliage down.
- In the oven. Greens should be dried at the minimum temperature of the device, with the door open. Celery is placed on baking sheets in a thin layer. After every hour in the oven, the product should be checked for readiness.
- In an electric dryer. The greens are dried using a special mode designed for drying herbs. The temperature on it is programmed no higher than 40 degrees, which allows you to preserve as much as possible all the beneficial properties and aromatic substances.
- In the microwave. This method is only suitable for a small amount of greens, and requires constant monitoring of the cooking process. The chopped herb is placed on paper plates and placed in the oven. The power of the unit is set at 700 W, and the exposure time is 2 minutes. After the beep, the celery is checked for readiness. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Watch this video from Excellent Farming on how to air dry celery greens.
How to dry celery stalks at home
Celery stalks are dried using the same technology. The cuttings must be thoroughly washed, cleared of hard films and veins, cut into thin slices and laid out on a sheet. The temperature in the oven or electric dryer should not exceed 60 degrees. The process will take about 10 hours. Sort and stir the raw materials while drying and monitor readiness.
Store dried herbs or celery slices in a tightly closed container. A dark glass or plastic jar with a tight-fitting lid is good for this. It is necessary to avoid the entry of moist air into the dry product, so as not to provoke molding and growth of mold. The product retains its value for 1-2 years, after which the seasoning will need to be refreshed.
How to dry petiole celery
Product preparation
Celery petioles are sorted out, removing damaged and wilted stems. Then the greens are washed and chopped into small cubes, 1.5 - 2 centimeters long. The finer the celery is chopped, the faster it will dry out.
Drying methods
The main methods of drying stalked celery are in the oven and in an electric dryer.
The oven temperature is set at 60 degrees, and the door ajar allows air circulation. Pallets with chopped petioles are placed in the oven for 2 hours. After this time, the pieces are mixed. Drying continues in this mode for 10 - 12 hours.
If an electric dryer is used for dehydration, then the temperature on it is set to 55 - 60 degrees. To ensure that the pieces dry evenly, the racks are swapped from time to time.
What to do with celery leaves? How to save them?
This was my first experience growing petiole celery in my garden. Celery is a very beautiful and quite unpretentious plant. It grows quickly and the petioles can be used for food, but what to do with these magnificent leaves? How to store them for the winter? What dishes can they be used in? Have any of you used celery leaves for soups?
petiole celery with leaves
I was curious and tasted a leaf of stalked celery that I grew. The taste was similar to regular leaf celery, but more bitter. After studying various information, I realized that in order for the grown celery to be more tasty and the leaves not to taste bitter, it is necessary, a couple of weeks before harvesting, to cover the celery from the sun or simply cover it with earth.
I hope you take my advice and the celery leaves you grow will not taste bitter. : )
Then I had the following questions: What to do with celery leaves? How to preserve grown leaves of leaf or petiole celery? How to use them for food? What dishes are celery leaves used in?
After spending a lot of time, looking at a bunch of blogs and other useful information on the Internet, I realized that many people ask these questions, but there are no detailed answers. But still, I was able to find answers to some questions and tried to summarize them. So:
Interesting: Is it possible to cover milk mushrooms with an iron lid?
Basic rules for harvesting celery leaves for the winter
It is important not only to grow green beds. It should also be taken into account that in order for the plant to accumulate the maximum amount of valuable substances in the root, stem and leaves, harvesting should begin before flowering begins.
Celery blooms closer to mid-August and you should have time to harvest at the end of June, the beginning of the third summer month. It is at this time that the crop is considered mature, and valuable energy is not spent on flowering.
You can continue to buy bunches of juicy celery from supermarket shelves, but it is worth considering that they are grown in an unnatural way, with the addition of fertilizers and other chemicals for growth and will not bring any benefit. Moreover, those who like to consume the plant in large volumes can provoke unwanted reactions in the body.
What to do with celery leaves? In what dishes should I use it?
- Add to soups. Toss in the leaves a few minutes before the dish is ready. It turns out beautiful and fragrant.
- Use when preparing various dishes in pots.
- Use as a substitute for cilantro in some recipes. For those who hate cilantro, this is just a great idea! Do you think celery leaves are a good substitute for cilantro? Write in the comments!
- Add to salads. There are many recipes for salads with celery leaves. And sometimes it’s even one of the main ingredients!
- And finally, my great way to preserve celery. Dry the leaves.
My way of using celery leaves
I decided to dry the leaves in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. The dry leaves were crispy, like potato chips. It turned out well.
