Celery

[MKG]

Celery is naturally bitter - which is why the older varietes have to be blanched. The self-blanching stuff is a compromise and the available types range from bitter to not-so-bitter.

Cooking tends to remove the bitterness, but if you want to use it as a salad, I'd have a go at the old tradition.

Mike

[Millymollymandy]

It was me and the only packet I could find here in France is the white kind that has to be blanched (this is the land of green, non blanched, bitter as hell and hollow stemmed fluffy insided celery, mostly inedible and only available in winter anyway ). Oops sorry bit of a rant anyway that's why I want to try it!

I may have to set up the seep hose on it though!

Oh and also talking of blanching, or not. I bought curly frisee endive seed from England that said it didn't need blanching (said it would form that nice white/pale green centre all of its own accord), well it didn't, and just grew straight upwards in a pyramid shape so I couldn't have put a plate over it to blanch it anyway. And it was bitter and inedible!

[snapdragon]

Having not much result with celeriac last year I was going to try celery this year - but the green type - not recommended?

[Green Aura]

We've only grown celery once, year before last.

It was a red variety - we got half a dozen plants from the local spring plant swap. I didn't know whether to earth it up, being red, so didn't and it was bloody horrible. Really bitter, thin, woody stalks.

I'm guessing that celery is a high maintenance veg. I don't mind a bit of hoeing and watering but don't do much in the way of feeding, except a seaweed top dressing in autumn and fresh compost in spring.