{"title":"Celery","description":"Celery variety seeds.","products":[{"product_id":"semences-celeri-rave-giant-prague-ancestral","title":"Giant Prague Heirloom Celeriac","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApium graveolens var. rapaceum.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most unjustly snubbed vegetable of the North American garden — and yet one of the most delicious and useful, and one of the great forgotten stars of Central European and French cooking. Under its alien-looking knobby, bearded exterior, celeriac hides a white flesh of exceptional flavour: at once that of common celery (since it's the same species, \u003cem\u003eApium graveolens\u003c\/em\u003e) and a deeper character, lightly nutty, almost perfumed. The Giant Prague variety (introduced in 1871) takes its name from the Czech capital and is a marker of celeriac's ancient importance in Bohemian and Germanic cooking, where it has gone for centuries into the great winter soups, the simmered \u003cem\u003egulasch\u003c\/em\u003e stews and the root purées that form the backbone of Central European peasant fare.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn France, it's the star ingredient of \u003cem\u003ecéleri rémoulade\u003c\/em\u003e, that Parisian bistro classic: raw celeriac grated into fine julienne, bound with a mustardy mayonnaise — served year-round as aperitif, starter or cold-meat side. The wild ancestor, marsh celery (\u003cem\u003esmallage\u003c\/em\u003e), still grows along European coasts and was already mentioned by Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder; through patient selection by medieval Italian and French gardeners, the modern cultivated forms were extracted — first stalk celery, then around the 16th century the bulbous-rooted celeriac.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA modest plant, 30-40 cm tall, with dark-green celery foliage (usable as a herb in the same way as regular celery leaf), which forms at the base a big, rough, irregular ball studded with little side roots — 10-15 cm across at full maturity (a fine specimen can weigh 800 g to 1.5 kg). Cream-pearly white flesh under brown skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCooked, the texture turns melting like a potato, the flavour rounds out and loses any potential bitterness. Cubed in soups and cream soups (a celeriac-apple-thyme velouté is a revelation for anyone who's never tried it), puréed on its own or fifty-fifty with potato, in a gratin with cream and nutmeg, roasted in oven quarters with olive oil, garlic and herbs, in homemade fries cut into sticks, or raw, finely grated as rémoulade. Excellent too in \u003cem\u003emirepoix\u003c\/em\u003e — it replaces or complements the classic celery in the foundational French aromatic base (onion, carrot, celery).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrower's tip:\u003c\/strong\u003e Celeriac is one of the most demanding vegetables to start, with a very long season that often outstrips the patience of the novice gardener. Start indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost — from late February for a mid-May transplant. Seeds are tiny and slow to germinate (14-21 days), and germinate in light: don't cover them with soil, just press them into the surface. Keep the medium constantly moist through germination and the first growth phase. Transplant once all frost risk has passed, into a very rich soil that is particularly cool in water — celeriac needs constant moisture all season. To get well-rounded rather than fibrous roots, hill the base lightly mid-season and avoid all water stress. Harvest at full maturity before hard frost, but celeriacs left in the ground a little past the first light frosts develop even better flavour (the starches partly convert to sugars). Excellent storage: 4-6 months in a cold, humid root cellar (0-2 °C, 90-95% humidity).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen-pollinated. Heritage variety pre-1900. Biennial; flowers in the second year. Insect-pollinated; crosses with stalk celery (all \u003cem\u003eApium graveolens\u003c\/em\u003e) — isolate for seed saving.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight: 30-40 cm for the foliage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaturity: 100-120 days after transplant.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExposure: full sun; part shade tolerated in summer.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVery rich, deep, water-cool (essential), well-drained, neutral soil. Space plants 25-30 cm apart.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStart indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost (late February in Québec). Don't cover seeds (need light to germinate). Transplant mid-May. Fall harvest. Excellent in the root cellar.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Joual Vert","offers":[{"title":"400","offer_id":42600975270060,"sku":"GC-H-CELGIA-400","price":0.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2000","offer_id":42600975302828,"sku":"GC-H-CELGIA-2K","price":3.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10000","offer_id":42600975335596,"sku":"GC-H-CELGIA-10K","price":12.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50000","offer_id":42600975368364,"sku":"GC-H-CELGIA-50K","price":36.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0532\/1388\/8684\/products\/celeriac_f4684daf-113e-45b4-8e51-e49ea3468b33.jpg?v=1698942958"},{"product_id":"semences-celeri-tall-utah-52-70-ancestral","title":"Tall Utah 52-70 Heirloom Celery","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApium graveolens.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe North American standard for stalk celery since the 1950s. The Tall Utah line was selected by the United States Department of Agriculture to combine the generous stalks of Pascal celery — a variety developed in the late 19th century in the Kalamazoo region of Michigan by Dutch-immigrant market gardeners who long dominated American celery cultivation — with improved resistance to several common diseases (heart rot, fusarium, mosaic) and to premature bolting. The \"52-70\" designates the selection line, and the variety still holds its place after more than seventy years on the market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUpright stalks 45-60 cm tall, thick, meaty, crunchy, medium-to-dark green, naturally a little milder than the old blanching celeries, with that characteristic fragrance that perfumes a quarter of the world's soups. Indispensable in the French \u003cem\u003emirepoix\u003c\/em\u003e (onion-celery-carrot), the Italian \u003cem\u003esoffritto\u003c\/em\u003e, the Cuban \u003cem\u003esofrito\u003c\/em\u003e, and the Cajun \"holy trinity\" (with bell pepper). Raw in sticks with a dip or stuffed with cream cheese for the kids, braised whole, melted into a risotto, or simply chewed as-is as a no-calorie snack. The leaves — often overlooked — have an even more intense flavour than the stalks and work wonders in a stock or a compound butter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrower's tip:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let's say it plainly: celery is not for the impatient gardener. A 100-130 day cycle, with mandatory indoor start 10-12 weeks before transplanting, and slow germination (14-21 days) provided you keep the seeds on the surface in the light (they need it to emerge) and constantly moist. Once in the garden, it demands a soil very rich in organic matter, regular and abundant watering — a water shortage, even brief, hardens the stalks and develops a tenacious bitterness — and a cool location. But the reward is worth it: a homegrown celery has a fragrance and a sweetness the grocery store never delivers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen-pollinated. Biennial, so flowering only occurs in the second year; insect-pollinated.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight: 45-60 cm.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaturity: 100-130 days after transplant.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExposure: full sun to part shade (part shade is even preferable in summer).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich, deep soil saturated with organic matter, constantly moist. Space plants 25-30 cm apart.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStart indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost (mid-February to early March in Québec). Transplant once all frost risk has passed, without burying the crown. Tolerates the first autumn frosts well.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Joual Vert","offers":[{"title":"400","offer_id":41441796128940,"sku":"GC-H-CELTAL-400","price":0.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2000","offer_id":41441796161708,"sku":"GC-H-CELTAL-2K","price":3.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10000","offer_id":41441796194476,"sku":"GC-H-CELTAL-10K","price":12.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50000","offer_id":41913345769644,"sku":"GC-H-CELTAL-50K","price":29.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0532\/1388\/8684\/products\/celeryh_f58ea168-36d0-457b-8055-e3ed917ef4b2.jpg?v=1698942960"}],"url":"https:\/\/joualvert.ca\/en\/collections\/celery.oembed","provider":"Joual Vert","version":"1.0","type":"link"}