Oops, I have too much is a blog series dedicated to the inevitable abundance of seasonal produce. Whether you grew it in your garden, got it in your CSA box or just couldn’t resist buying beautiful seasonal produce at the grocery store or farmer’s market, I’ll give you ideas for delicious ways to use your excess food + tips to preserve it for later so it won’t go to waste.
What to do with extra celery
Celery seems to be one of those foods you buy for a specific recipe, then the rest just sits in the fridge. But never fear, friends. I have some delicious ways for you to use up the rest. (Unless you are like my brother or sister-in-law, who like to bond about their mutual disdain for celery. If this is the case, I promise to keep it far away from you, and you should probably skip this post.)
For the rest of us, let’s discuss some crunchy goodness, shall we?
Storing celery
Short term:
Celery will stay crisp in the fridge for up to a month. I wash mine, cut off the ends, wrap in a damp paper towel (or thin cotton cloth), then wrap in aluminum foil to make it airtight.
Long term:
Celery can be chopped and frozen, however I find that it doesn’t keep the same satisfying crunch as fresh. Frozen celery can be used for soups and other recipes where the crunch is not a critical factor.
Quick & easy
- Snack on it raw, dipped in ranch dressing or dill dip
- Make the old kindergarden favorite, ants on a log
A piece of celery filled with peanut butter = a log. Raisins = ants. (However, I must admit I grew up thinking raisins were a huge bummer. I like them now, but I still prefer my logs to be ant-less.) - Chop up and add to egg salad
I stacked my logs…to make a cabin. Get it? I made a log cabin. #playingwithmyfood
More recipe ideas to use celery
- Curry chicken salad with celery and cashews. This stuff is DIVINE, particularly on a croissant. I must thank my cousin Molly, for bringing this goodness into my life.
- I can’t resist sharing this whole page of celery recipes from the New York Times. If I were you, I’d start with the slaw, then perhaps the orange-and-celery-salad, then some celery salsa. Nom nom nom, those pictures make me want to buy more celery.
- Try this radish and celery relish. And BONUS: it’s totally vintage. The recipe originated in 1720 in the UK.
