Basic preparation, storage, and nutritional information about celery, for kids who like to cook.
Celery is enjoyed by kids in a variety of favorite dishes in both its cooked and raw state. Raw celery makes a wonderful addition to tuna sandwiches and salads or it can be eaten topped with peanut butter for some added protein. Cooked celery can be eaten in soups, mixed with rice, or used to add flavor to meat dishes.
Celery is easily found in most grocery stores. It has a relatively long shelf life and can add flavor to a variety of dishes that kids enjoy. Kids can easily prepare celery for a quick snack or to add to one of their favorite meals.
Selection and Storage of Celery
Celery is an easy vegetable for kids to help select in the grocery store. It is fairly easy to pick out fresh celery. Test the celery stalks by bending them slightly back and forth. Fresh celery should not bend easily. It should have the feeling that it will snap if you bend it too far. Celery has small leaves at the top of the stalk. The leaves on fresh celery should not look wilted. If celery leaves are wilted you will know that the celery stalk is not very fresh.
Celery is connected at the bottom by the root. The celery stalks are the individual pieces of celery coming up from the root. The stalks on fresh celery should feel tight and be close together. Avoid celery that has any spots on the leaves or celery stalks.
Celery can be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to a week. Celery can be washed before storage so that it is ready to eat when you want it or you can wash it before use.
Celery and Pesticides
Pesticides are harmful chemicals that are used when growing many of the foods that we eat. Some foods absorb more pesticides than others. In a recent study, celery was named the 4th worst food for absorbing pesticides. Many grocery stores offer organic and regular celery. Kids are especially vulnerable to the effects of pesticides and whenever possible, their exposure should be limited. Organic celery is usually slightly more expensive but it has been grown without the use of harmful pesticides.
Preparation of Celery
Celery needs to be separated before it can be cleaned. Hold on to an individual celery stalk and pull it away from the root at the bottom. Continue to pull away celery stalks until you have as many as you need. Rinse each celery stalk in the sink under running water. The base of the celery stalk often holds dirt and you may need to use your fingers to gently rub the dirt away.
When you have washed your celery, lay the celery stalks out on a cutting board. Carefully cut off a small piece from the top and the bottom. Celery ends can dry out when they are stored. Cutting them off gets rid of the dried part.
If your celery feels limp fill a tall glass with water and put the celery stalks in the glass. Celery is made up of mostly water. Putting the ends in a glass of water helps it to absorb more water and refreshes it.
Carefully cut the celery into the size that you want it and eat it raw or follow the cooking instructions in the recipe it will be used in. Celery has long fibers inside it that may separate from the celery stalk when it is being cut. You can slowly peel loose fibers away from the celery stalk and discard them or you can leave them on the celery stalk and eat them.
Nutritional Value of Celery
Celery, like most vegetables is high in fiber, which is important for helping your digestive system to work the way it is supposed to. Celery also contains high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin K.
