All About Celery

Celery is often mistaken for a vegetable but it is actually an herb that is native to the warm Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions of the world. The celery we know and easily recognize today with their large, upright stalks was not developed until the late 1700s and modern science continues to make improvements on the herb as now there are even string-free varieties available to choose from.

Celery is rather high in fiber and offers an impressive amount of vitamins C and K and its beneficial fruits or tiny seeds are often used for flavoring foods as well. Fresh and crisp celery offers a distinctive crunch for salads and when it is cooked it provides great flavor for soups, stews, Levolor kirsch and sauces.

Celery is also a primary component of stuffing and can be used in so many different dishes including cream of celery soup, chicken, egg, and tuna salads, rice dishes, and also casseroles. Raw celery is even good for serving as an appetizer along with cream cheese, peanut butter, or vegetable dip.

When buying celery, look for stalks without any wilted or brown leaves on top and the individual stalks should be firm and unblemished. Although celery is available all year long it tends to taste best when it is harvested during the fall and winter months in warmer climates.

To prepare celery, simply rinse each stalk thoroughly to remove any mud and dirt and then remove the white bottoms and leafy tops before cutting or chopping.

Celery will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks when stored loosely in a plastic bag. Submerging in cold water for a minute or two will help to restore some of its original crispiness if the stalks have just started to soften as celery is mostly made of water. Once the leaves of the celery stalk appear wilted that is a good indication the celery itself is not fresh.

Sour Spare Rib Soup Recipe

What You Need


1 medium rack spare ribs
2 large onions, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cans (about 8 ounces each) kraut juice
3 cups water
1/4 cup chicken broth
16 ounce container sour cream
4 tablespoons flour
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste


How to Make It

In a large pot, combine the rack of ribs, the chopped onions and celery, and the kraut juice and the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer everything over low heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until all of the meat falls off of the bones.

Take the ribs out of the soup and remove any meat and then return it to the pot in small pieces.

Mix the chicken broth with the sour cream until smooth then add into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil again then return to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add salt and fresh ground black pepper to the sour spare rib soup and serve while hot.

Serves 4.

A simple pumpkin soup recipe can be the perfect addition to all your holiday meals especially during the colder, winter months. Make a great tasting and easy pumpkin soup recipe using canned pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg, and heavy whipping cream.

Find all the best pumpkin soup recipes at PumpkinSoup.org