How to Freeze Celery

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1. How long will celery keep in the freezer? Does it have to be frozen?
   

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   1. If you do not blanch it first it will last about 3 months max in freezer. However, if you take the extra step of blanching first...it will last up to a year frozen.
      

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      1. How do you blanch it? Also how do you flash freeze it?
         

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2. Why does it have to be flash-frozen? I have in the past just chopped it and put it in a cup size bag. Does the flash freezing give the celery something?
   

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   1. It prevents the celery from sticking together, but you can skip it if you would like.
      

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      1. Hi, I never thought about freezing celery, onions, or carrots. I do freeze peppers which I usually buy from a produce store when they have a sale on several days old stock. I usually use up my carrots, celery, and onions. cry a lot when I'm cutting onions. I try to grow some of my veggies but the deer seem to like them more than me. eve when I put up a fence they manage to get to my tomatoes besides the leaves.
         

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      2. Ok great I was wondering why you flash freeze also! It makes sense now that it is to keep it from freezing together! Thank you!
         

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3. I went 1 better. I did chop the celery but what I did I bought baby carrots and sliced up an onion and combined them all in one zip bag. So easy and I don't have to buy veggies for soups or dtews
   

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4. Will it turn mushy if you use it in a fry pan
   

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   1. It will be soft like a cooked piece of celery.
      

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5. We live near the NM border and every year we go to Hatch NM chile festival, we roast the long green and jalapeño chiles, let them cool and package them, we use vacuum sealer bags and machine, they do better in the freezer than regular freezer bags, I also grow cilantro and basil, we place the clean and patted dry herbs in an ice cube tray filled with extra virgin olive oil and freeze them, once frozen, we transfer them to resealable vacuum bags and keep them in the freezer, using as needed.
   

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   1. Now there's an idea I've been looking for! We love cilantro but usually the bunches we buy (haven't tried growing our own yet) are too big for just the two of us to use quickly. Now I'm going to HAVE to try growing it myself and preserving it this way. Hopefully it will grow in a window-box in my kitchen this fall. Thanks for sharing this!!
      

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6. Everything I freeze gets freezer burn right away! Can I freeze the cut up celery in a ziploc back with water? (the only way to keep air out)
   

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   1. You could try it. It might be okay. If you're concerned about freezer burn, you could always look into getting a vaccuum sealer which removes all of the air and keeps thing fresh.
      

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      1. I have had pesto in freezer after Vacuum sealing for 5 years!! Perfect!!
         

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7. Can frozen celery be used in homemade dressing/stuffing
   

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   1. I think it would be alright, since you are cooking it. It won't have the bite of fresh celery, so I guess it depends on how you making your stuffing.
      

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8. When making stuffing, I usually saute the celery in butter before adding to the stuffing mix. If celery is frozen, do I thaw it and then saute or is it not necessary to saute since it will already be soft?
   

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   1. I normally saute it as usual in my recipes straight from the freezer, but it will be soft, so you could probably skip that step if you wanted too.
      

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   2. I freeze cilantro all the time. I bought some large ice cube trays, with lid. I cut up the cilantro and add a liquid to it, usually lime juice and water. I use this all the time for homemade salsa. When frozen, I remove from trays and store in a large bag in the freezer.
      

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   3. Since my celery is frozen in plastic bags. I take them out of the freezer, let them thaw. After thawing, I cut off a tiny bit of the plastic bag corner and squeeze all the extra fluid out. For stuffing I do not saute but just mix it in with onion and spices. I only saute if I'm adding to anything that I am frying, like ground meat or potatoes. Sometimes you don't want all the excess water in what you are making. With stews, chilis, gumbos, I just toss it in the pot, right out of the freezer. So easy whatever you need it for!
      

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9. This was very helpful..in how to freezeveghies.
   

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10. Thanks for sharing
    

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11. Among family I’m referred to as the “Freezer Queen” because I’ll freeze anything that can be frozen. I cook, bake and freeze everything for future meals. I’m not into canning or gardening but I do love making big batches of almost anything and stocking the freezer then pulling a dinner time meal out to thaw for our evening meal. Want dessert, I’ve got it covered.
    

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    1. Great idea!
       

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12. Great to know i can freeze celery without having to blanch it. Not sure what ither veg can be frozen from raw
    

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    1. I've also frozen bell peppers and onions.
       

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    2. I've also froze 1 cup mixtures of diced celery, green pepper and onions. My grandma called it the "Holy Trinity" as her family used this mixture in almost everything they cooked.. My grandma was born in 1881, so they had been using it for years, but they dried the vegetables and packed them in glass jars. My grandma taught me how to cook so I've carried this practice on,. I'm 68, now and I continue this tradition. Easy to have it all done and ready to throw in a pot or pan! Cuts the cost way down as I make these bags up in the summer when vegetables are fresh and more inexpensive!
       

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13. I wrap celery stalks in a damp paper towel, then in tin foil tightly. Put it in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. I was so surprised today, when I went to get some of it out to use in soup and it was perfect, except for the ends. It has been in there for at least a month!!! First time I have seen it last this long. I do the same thing with lettuce. I wash it, take off outside leaves then wrap it in a paper towel completely and put it in a large baggie. It lasts a long time. Hope these are some tips you can use.
    

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14. Our family just loves cabbage rolls but when made in winter or spring, they are so costly but family still "demand" them and cabbage heads, where we live are very small. In the late summer and fall we can get very large cabbages at a wonderful price. So that is when I buy them. I will fill a large kettle with water and heat to boil. Meanwhile I will pull off the first layer of outer leaves and discard. Next I make a deep circle cut around the core or even cut it out. Put into the boiling water and peel off each leaf as they loosen up and come off. I drain them, lay fat and cut the tough "V" shape out. I then lay them flat on a baking sheet that has been covered with a piece of plastic wrap, that extends well beyond the edges of the baking sheet. Then I will lay each flat cabbage leaf, in stacks of five, laying a piece of wax paper between each leaf. When done with each stack, I fold the plastic wrap up and over, making a packet. Then into the freezer, with packages on the baking sheet, 2 packets high. I move some of my previously frozen food on top. for the weight factor and freeze! Thaw at room temperature and peel each leaf off the frozen pile until done. Make the meat mixture, shape and put on cabbage leaf, roll up and cook with whatever sauce and seasonings that you want. So good and inexpensive too!
    

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15. Love these hints about vegetables.
    

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16. how long does it last and will it last longer if i vacuum seal it?
    

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