PWM, I just wrap it in foil, no paper towels.
And I don't wash it until I use it.
It lasts pretty good.
In fact, I found some in the back of the 'frig yesterday
That I KNOW has been there since New Years.
It's still good.

Rusty

Unlike some other vegetables, celery doesn't need to be kept dry to prevent spoilage. It benefits from being moist. In fact, celery which has gotten slightly limp can be revived by wetting it and putting it in a plastic bag. That's my experience anyway. Can someone verify this?

Jim

I was under the impression that the veggies wrapped in foil must be dry. So lately I've wrapped my celery in plastic then in foil, prior to washing. It's kept fresh and crisp for weeks.

Edited to say: it's hard for me not to wash it first! I've always washed and trimmed my celery before storing, for years.

This post was edited by jasdip on Fri, Feb 1, 13 at 13:31

Jim, you can cut off the ends off celery stalks and put them in water like flowers. They will take up water and get firm again.

You could also try storing them in Everts bags, which I believe Gelson's uses in their produce department. Anyway, the green bags that I get at Gelson's store food for much longer than the plain, clear bags I get at other stores. I first heard about Everts bags here.

I do not wash celery until just before use, and I do not wrap it in paper towels. My grandmother stored hers in jars with lids, but you have to cut it to fit the jars, and the jars take up more space.

Lars

Ditto what Rusty said. It works for me and will keep for weeks. TIGHTLY wrapped in foil may be the key word.

jude

I always store it in a jug of water.

I would think how long you can keep celery fresh will also depend on the following:

1. How fresh it is when you buy it.

2. The humidity of your refrigerator.

3. How cold is your refrigerator.

dcarch

It seems like there are two ways of keeping celery fresh. Celery gets limp or wilty from desiccation -- loss of moisture.

As suggested above, one way is to store it in a tightly sealed foil wrap or other air tight container. This prevents or slows evaporation of water. Actually, it would be more accurate to say it prevents or slows transpiration, which is escape water from the stomata (leaf pores) of a plant.

The other way is to keep the celery moist by spraying it with water and keeping it in a plastic bag or by storing it in a vase of water like a bouquet of flowers. This prevents drying by supplying water. Celery seems to have the ability to absorb water not just through the roots but also through other parts of the plant because celery which has started to wilt can be restored to crispness by this method.

Stores used to have sprayers above the produce which turned on periodically. I don't think I have seen this lately. Have you?

Jim

Oh, we have the automatic sprayers. I hate them. The produce is dripping wet, too wet to pick up. And if you're there at the wrong moment, you can get wet too.

"Oh, we have the automatic sprayers. I hate them. The produce is dripping wet, too wet to pick up. And if you're there at the wrong moment, you can get wet too."

Not only that, you are paying good money for plain water!

dcarch

And if you care about eating organically grown, it's being sprayed over and over again with chlorine and maybe fluoride, depending on where you live.

This post was edited by olychick on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 11:58

I think it's just water. If there were chlorine the spray, I'd smell it. Or do you mean the chlorine that may be in the water before it gets to the store?

I have a tupperware celery keeper. It is a rectangular green box with plastic grid insert that sets above the bottom of the container. You put a bit of water in the bottom, add the celery, cover and store. I add carrots too if there is room, and it keeps celery really well and frees up crisper drawer space for other veggies.