How to Clean Celery and Store Celery Properly

Celery (Apium graveolens) is an edible vegetable that grows in tall, green, fibrous stalks. Compositionally, celery is mostly water, yet it produces a distinctive flavor. In this sense, celery shares properties with cucumbers, which are used for similar culinary purposes. Celery contains very few calories but it does offer a significant amount of vitamin K.

Popular preparations for fresh celery include slathering the stalks in dips like ranch dressing or peanut butter. Finely cut celery makes a flavorful addition to tuna salad and various stir-fries. Celery soups and stews, celery salt, celery juice, and even celery soda can be found in grocery stores throughout the United States.

You can wash celery whenever you like—whether that's right before serving or as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store. Unlike berries, which can grow moldy in the presence of excess water, celery does fine when moist, as it naturally grows in wet soil.

1. 1. Break off the individual stalks. The best way to clean celery starts with separating the stalks if they aren’t separated already. Dirt collects at the base of the stalk, so break the celery apart before washing.
2. 2. Wash each stalk in cool water. It's simplest to hold the celery stalks under running water, but you can also submerge them in a large bowl of cold water to soak. You can even add vinegar to the mixture as you soak celery to kill off any insects that remain on the stalks. Aim for a mixture that is ten percent white vinegar and ninety percent water.
3. 3. Dry each stalk. Pat your celery stalks dry with paper towels or a clean dishtowel. You're now ready to use these veggies in a recipe.

Once your celery is cleaned, you can prep it for use or storage.

1. 1. Chop off the celery leaves. Do this on a cutting board with a sharp knife—ideally a paring knife. The leaves taste great in a stew, or you can use them as a garnish.
2. 2. Chop off the bottom of each stalk. The base of the stalk tends to be bitter, and it's a magnet for dirt. Chop these off and throw them in your compost bin.
3. 3. Store celery in aluminum foil. Celery keeps the longest in the refrigerator when it is wrapped in aluminum foil. The more airtight your foil wrap, the longer the celery will stay crunchy. Some home cooks wrap celery in a damp paper towel and then wrap that in aluminum foil. Remember that celery naturally grows in wet climates, so trapping in moisture actually makes it crisper.
4. 4. You can also freeze celery. You can freeze celery for future use—soups and stews often feature previously frozen celery—but you should blanch the celery before placing it into a freezer bag. Blanching celery involves submerging it in boiling water for three minutes and then plunging it in ice-cold water for another three minutes. This will lock in the flavor and nutrients and make it last far longer in the freezer.
5. 5. Try juicing leftover celery. You can stick celery in a juicer for a slightly salty drink with familiar celery fragrances. Before you juice the celery, remove its fibrous outer threads with a vegetable peeler. This will prevent the celery from jamming the juicer, and it will produce a smoother beverage.

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