Celeriac is one of the strangest vegetables that we grow and many people don’t know what it is or how to use it. One of our customers even called it the vegetable brain because of how weird it looks!
A Brief Description
Celeriac is also known as celery root; it is not the root of a celery plant. The celeriac plant has green leaves and stalks and the edible part is the root bulb. It is about the size of a grapefruit and has a mild, slightly sweet, celery like flavor. The inside is creamy white and firm but not as crunchy as a carrot. It is a perfect fall and winter replacement for celery.
It can be used many different ways and this article highlights a few of them. I ate celeriac for dinner every night this past week and even added it to a few of my lunches to get the appetizing pictures you can see below!
Health and Nutrition
The significant amount of Vitamin K and C found in celeriac make a significant contribution toward the recommended daily intake of these vitamins. The Vitamin K is great for bone health and preventing fractures and the Vitamin C promotes the immune system.
Celeriac also contains a good amount of dietary fiber and potassium. Because of its low carbohydrate levels, it is often used as a substitute for potatoes by people who are trying to lose weight.
Tips for Preparing
Peeling the celeriac with a regular peeler can be a bit complicated because the skin is thick and knobby. I know that doesn't make it sound appetizing, but although it isn't pretty, it is delicious! It's most effective to cut the top and bottom off and peel the rest of the skin with a knife.
How to eat it:
Celeriac can be eaten raw by grating it into salads and coleslaw for added flavor or in veggie stick platters.
It is versatile in cooking and can add flavor to any dish. It can be baked, roasted, boiled, fried, sautéed and steamed.
Celeriac can replace celery in any recipe, especially in the winter because local celery is hard to find.
It can be chopped into soups, stews and stir-fries, sliced into sticks, wedges or cubes and fried or baked in the oven. It can be cooked like potatoes and made into a creamy mash or even added to mashed potatoes. Another popular method is using a spiralizer to make them into spaghetti like strands, boiled and topped with any delicious sauce. And even used as a garnish to add a fun spirally gourmet twist to any regular dish.
To know when it is finished cooking, check that it is soft through, much like a potato or carrot.
Below we have some of pictures of how we use it here at the farm!
Storage tips:
After the celeriac is peeled, it does become slightly discolored in storage. This doesn’t affect the taste or quality but if you would like to prevent this, immersing it in lemon water for a minute does the trick. To make it last longer in storage, put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Summary:
Celeriac is a perfect example of how branching out and trying new things can be fun and easy. Either by adding it to a regular dish like a soup or trying something completely different like celeriac spaghetti, there are many different ways to experiment! Cooking can be an adventure and new, unique vegetables like the underrated celeriac can be a key to this!