Crop of the Week: Celery seed
April 14, 2012 8:14 PM
• In 2009, Yuma County growers had about 1,200 acres of
celery in production with a value of more than $1.2 million, a crop that
has been on the rise in recent years. And, to assist in the supply of
its seed, Yuma-area vegetable seed producers are growing celery seed,
which will be harvested at the end of June.
• One successful acre of plants will yield about 500 pounds of seeds. There are about 71,000 seeds per ounce or 1,120,000 seeds per pound.
• Celery seed is not well-known in Western herbal medicine, although it has been used medicinally for thousands of years in other parts of the world. During ancient times, Ayurvedic medicine used celery seed to treat colds, flu, water retention, poor digestion, various types of arthritis and certain diseases of the liver and spleen.
• Today, celery seed is used primarily as a diuretic (increasing urine output to help the body get rid of excess water). Celery seed is also suggested for treating arthritis and gout and to help reduce muscle spasms, calm the nerves and reduce inflammation. However, there are no scientific studies in humans that show whether celery seed is effective for these conditions or any others. Studies do show that celery seeds act as a mosquito repellent.
• A few animal studies suggest that celery seed extracts may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as protect the liver from damaging substances such as the pain reliever acetaminophen. Preliminary animal studies also show that celery seed may help prevent the formation of cancerous tumors in mice.
• In humans, researchers have found that people who eat a diet rich in lutein (from celery, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, carrots and greens) were significantly less likely to develop colorectal cancer. However, celery was just one part of their diet, and no one knows whether the effect is due to celery, another food or some combination of foods.
• In North America, commercial production of celery is dominated by a variety called Pascal celery. Gardeners can grow a range of cultivars, many of which differ little from the wild species, mainly in having stouter leaf stems. They are ranged under two classes, white and red; the white cultivars being generally the best flavored, and the most crisp and tender.
• With cultivation and blanching, celery stalks lose their acidic qualities and assume the mild, sweetish, aromatic taste particular to celery as a salad plant.
• When Europeans refer to the seed of the wild celery plant as “smallage,” they must be thinking of the size since the flavor and aroma of the celery seed are anything but tiny. In fact, you must take care in seasoning with celery seed to avoid overpowering a dish. Used properly, it will offer a warm taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
• A common ingredient in pickling, celery seed accents a wide variety of foods. Beyond the typical tomato juice or vegetable salads, think of it for fish, eggs or meat dishes. Celery salt is a mixture of ground celery seed and table salt deemed almost essential to a Bloody Mary cocktail.
Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.
• One successful acre of plants will yield about 500 pounds of seeds. There are about 71,000 seeds per ounce or 1,120,000 seeds per pound.
• Celery seed is not well-known in Western herbal medicine, although it has been used medicinally for thousands of years in other parts of the world. During ancient times, Ayurvedic medicine used celery seed to treat colds, flu, water retention, poor digestion, various types of arthritis and certain diseases of the liver and spleen.
• Today, celery seed is used primarily as a diuretic (increasing urine output to help the body get rid of excess water). Celery seed is also suggested for treating arthritis and gout and to help reduce muscle spasms, calm the nerves and reduce inflammation. However, there are no scientific studies in humans that show whether celery seed is effective for these conditions or any others. Studies do show that celery seeds act as a mosquito repellent.
• A few animal studies suggest that celery seed extracts may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as protect the liver from damaging substances such as the pain reliever acetaminophen. Preliminary animal studies also show that celery seed may help prevent the formation of cancerous tumors in mice.
• In humans, researchers have found that people who eat a diet rich in lutein (from celery, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, carrots and greens) were significantly less likely to develop colorectal cancer. However, celery was just one part of their diet, and no one knows whether the effect is due to celery, another food or some combination of foods.
• In North America, commercial production of celery is dominated by a variety called Pascal celery. Gardeners can grow a range of cultivars, many of which differ little from the wild species, mainly in having stouter leaf stems. They are ranged under two classes, white and red; the white cultivars being generally the best flavored, and the most crisp and tender.
• With cultivation and blanching, celery stalks lose their acidic qualities and assume the mild, sweetish, aromatic taste particular to celery as a salad plant.
• When Europeans refer to the seed of the wild celery plant as “smallage,” they must be thinking of the size since the flavor and aroma of the celery seed are anything but tiny. In fact, you must take care in seasoning with celery seed to avoid overpowering a dish. Used properly, it will offer a warm taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
• A common ingredient in pickling, celery seed accents a wide variety of foods. Beyond the typical tomato juice or vegetable salads, think of it for fish, eggs or meat dishes. Celery salt is a mixture of ground celery seed and table salt deemed almost essential to a Bloody Mary cocktail.
Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.
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