You can harvest celery seeds if you can grow it. It is so simple and you can do this with many of the plants you may already be growing in your garden.
Do you remember this spring when I posted that you could regrow celery? Well, yes you can, but there are some things to know first!
1.) When you cut the bottom of the bunch of celery off (see above link) , let little rootlets form first by setting it in a dish of water for a few days. Then plant it outside. No rootlets = no growth!
2.) It needs a LOT of water. I had read that it was a bog plant originally, and it loves those conditions. A drip system would be totally helpful for celery (along with your cabbages). Next year?!
3.) They might have thrived in a bit of shade. Sun is fine, but the hot sun we had this summer (90-107° every day for almost two months) just increased the need for water. I lost several that way.
4.) I could have cut lots of celery leaf to flavor chicken salad, potatoes, and soups, but I was afraid it would hurt the growth of the plant. I won’t be looking for big, juicy stalks next year, but will be happy to use the leafy tops with about 3″ of stalk. More just grows from the crown of the plant. It was as fresh and good as any store bought, but better since it isn’t sprayed.
So, in order to get to the seed stage, just let the celery plants you have go to head. That means you can still pick leaves and the mini-stalks, but don’t cut back the lanky stalks that shoot up from the heart of the plant. For me in the Midwest, they started to set seed in early August.
Eventually, the stalks will have flowers very much like Queen Anne’s lace. Butterflies love them. They will smell like celery~ so lovely and fresh!
The petals will fall, and the developing seed will swell and start to age.
Here you can see several stages of seed development. It is quite lovely when you get up close. Little stripes become defined, better than the store-bought kind (what I had in the spice cabinet looked crushed)!!
The aroma of celery intensifies now and makes one hungry for potato salad or such 😉
When the celery seeds start to darken, take care not to shake them as you cut. Catch the seed heads into a bag or bowl. I found they want to drop off if the weather has been excessively hot and dry. If it has rained, wait for a dry day to collect the seed.
Store celery seeds in a tin or the spice shaker of your choice, and enjoy this appetite-stimulating seed. Is it a spice? Or an herb?
Celery Seeds Health Benefits:
Celery seeds are used as a diuretic. People who are suffering from gout and arthritis may find celery seed helpful, as the diuretic properties promotes the clearing of uric acid crystals collecting in the joints. They are also anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce the swelling and pain.
They have the ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, aid milk flow in nursing mothers, and freshen breath. Avoid in pregnancy if you are experiencing bleeding.
For a great little site on nutrition, go to nutrition-info.com.
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Thanks for reading!
Sandra says
I tried letting mine go to seed last year but didn’t have the room to see it all the way through. Hoping to do it with this years crop (which goes in next month in our area). Also, I forget of celery seed having medicinal properties, thanks for reminding me.
LindaG says
Great post. Thanks for the additional information!
Charlotte Moore says
We tried twice to grow a stalk of celery, but no luck. First in direct sun, next time in a shade. I wondered if it would grow now.
That is such a pretty pink dish you have those seeds in. Pink catches my eyes.
Jacqueline says
I really love raspberry pink! Charlotte, don’t give up on trying…did you put the bottom of the stalk into water first to let little rootlets grow? It needs to have them form first and then lots and lots of water. I don’t think you can drown it 😉 Blessings, friend!
Charlotte Moore says
Yes, I had it in water until the tops looked like it was making celery. I guess it needed more water.
Jacqueline says
Yes, Charlotte,
I think I killed several that way by not letting the roots get longer and then flooding the dirt in the garden during the drought. I learned so much about the elusive celery plant this summer, and I’m not going to give up now 😉 Lol Will you try again?
Wendy @ E1A says
So much knowledge re: God’s creation to glean from this blog Jacqueline!
I just love your photos too – such beautiful photography!
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Wendy, for your kind words. God makes it so easy to love all of the work of His commands 🙂 I do love to take pictures, but there is so much to learn with the SLRs~ I don’t think I’ll ever get there!
Kim Smith says
We tried to grow celery this summer here in SE IN. Not one seed germinated, not one. I was very disappointed. None of my pepper seeds from the same company germinated either. I’m not sure if it was the seed, the weather conditions or the gardener,lol. I’m going to try again next year. I learned a lot from your post!
Jacqueline says
Kim,
Please do try again next year and instead of seed, save the bottom of the bunches you buy in the store. I don’t really know anyone who can grow celery easily except the producers. Lol I would love to hear of your success next year 🙂
Petra says
Praise God for His marvelous creation–and for you posting all the interesting, uniquely beautiful things about it. I find it so satisfying, so comforting that everything He made has a purpose…including us.
The health benefits of celery are truly fascinating. Over time, I hope to build up to using herbs as much as possible in place of medications and such. God’s curing is so much purer than man’s. And celery is downright pretty when it’s growing. Blessings to you and your family!
Julie says
I grew a beautiful celery this summer from a supermarket stump that I started in a dish of water. I was so thrilled with its leafy lushness until I went to harvest it. It had grown one huge central “trunk” (like a forearm) and only a few tiny side shoots. It was nothing at all like the original celery I had purchased. Then I tasted it. Ugh, it was celery flavored times a thousand. It was inedible for snacking and maybe a little sliver could be used for soup flavor. Do you have any idea what went wrong? Is compost bad for them? I garden with absolutely no chemicals and only the goodness of sheep and chicken compost.
Enjoyed your article here. Next time I will wait and harvest seeds!
Jacqueline says
Julie,
I am wondering if the center stalk was the seed-bearing stalk and it would taste different (and possibly horrid)…do keep trying, and I’d love to know if you can use the shorter stalks and leaves with success. Blessings to you and your household!
Mary says
Are the packs of sowing celery seeds alright to use as an infusion to drink .
Are they the same as the ones form a health shop please . Thank you
Jacqueline says
Hi, Mary! I hope I understand your question. This is what I think of the topic, but I am not a professional:
Celery seed tea contains beneficial oils and active components, including essential omega-6 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol. I would NOT use standard celery seed for the garden, UNLESS you grow it your self and it is not sprayed. Most seed (unless organic) is treated before packaging. Here are examples of an organic celery seed: http://amzn.to/2cdBw48
Celery seed tea is made by grinding or crushing celery seeds, pouring boiling water over them, then letting them steep for at least 10 minutes but preferably 20 minutes. Then you strain out the seeds and drink the tea. It takes about 2 tsp. of crushed seeds to make 2 cups of tea.
I hope that helps 😀
Mary says
Dear Jaqueline, thank you so much for your reply
Re’ celery seeds. I shall stop using what I have made out of the sowing seeds at once.
I shall go to a health shop and buy.
Once again I thank you for your advise
Yours sincerely mary X