Celery, that food that practically no mother ever forgot to add to her purees when we were little, has a new lease of life thanks to new varieties, its versatility and the benefits it provides at a nutritional level. It is also a very light food (less than 15kcal per 100gr.), ideal to incorporate in multiple recipes.
In the market we can find two types of celery, mostly green celery, which is the best known by the consumer, and we also find the white celery, whose fans are only growing and we will tell you the reason why.
Differences between green celery and white celery
The most obvious difference between green celery and white celery is its color. The white, although the leaves are bright green, the trunk has a whitish color, with a slightly yellowish tone.
When we tasted it, we also found clear differences between one and the other. The white celery is more tender, since it has much more water. The strands that are so annoying in green celery are imperceptible in white celery , and the flavor is much milder. Moreover, there are even more differences if we compare the summer cultivation with the higher quality winter cultivation celery. Therefore, we are at the best time to taste this product, which more and more people choose as an ingredient for creams and stews, and also to be consumed raw in salads or as a dip with a cold cream such as hummus.
Local white celery, grown in the Huerta de Valencia.
At Vicente Peris we are producers of white celery. Some of our plantations are located in the heart of the Huerta de Valencia, pampered by a mild climate thanks to the abundance of sunny days and the proximity to the sea, which is visible and whose aroma is noticeable from the field itself. At the moment, in mid-November, we are in the middle of harvesting the crop that we planted in summer in l’Horta Nord, white celery of golden variety. Thanks to the constant control of our in-house technicians, the celery has grown healthy and arrived in perfect organoleptic condition at the time of harvesting. The celery is harvested manually, bush by bush. From each plant we remove the outer leaves to leave the stalks clean and perfect.
After harvesting it, we take it to our production plant in Cúiper (Foios), so this proximity celery arrives fresh and vital, so that our technicians can prepare it in the sales formats that we work in Peris: stick celery and cut celery, the latter we serve it in trays and bagged, always with recyclable and recycled packaging.
The benefits of white celery
Celery is a source of potassium (341mg. per 100gr.), which contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system, muscles and blood pressure.
In addition, celery is also a source of vitamin K, which contributes to normal blood clotting and to the maintenance of normal bones.
Uses of white celery: raw or cooked recipe ideas
Raw white celery recipe ideas:
- As a spoon or stick in a tomato juice, to go hitting bites while enjoying the juice, as the combination of both foods is 10.
- In salads. If it is not an ingredient that you usually eat raw, cut it into small pieces, this way it will integrate better with the rest of the ingredients and you will get used to its presence very easily.
- For non-stop snacking. Dipping sauces or creams are usually healthy because they are based on vegetables (for example, eggplant cream) and vegetables (such as hummus, whose main ingredient is chickpeas) and there are even lighter ones based on yogurt. However, the nutritional mistake is made with the food with which we eat the creams, which are usually triangles of corn or bread, which are quite filling. So we propose to use as an alternative some white celery sticks.
Ideas for use in recipes for cooked white celery:
- In your tomato sauce: whether you make it homemade or buy it ready-made, you can enrich it with white celery, it will be very tender and integrated, since, as we have said before, celery and tomato make a very good combination.
- In stewed dishes, because if you add to its natural tenderness the time in the casserole with the broth and the rest of the ingredients, it will be so soft that it will practically seem like butter melting in your mouth.
- Do not forget it either in fish or seafood casseroles. Delicious!
- And of course, in all the creams you can think of. Keep in mind that white celery is much softer than green celery, so its flavor will integrate perfectly and will not absorb the flavor of the rest of the ingredients, as sometimes happens with green celery.
It is also important to remember that celery is considered in the current legislation as a product that causes allergies or intolerances, such as cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts and nuts, among others. For more information, please refer to EU Regulation 1169/2011.
We hope we have helped you to know a little better the white celery, one of our star products. We now return to the field, to continue with the harvesting of this wonderful food.