Grow pink celery and get ready for a lively sauce

The holidays are a time to get sauced. And every sauce, soup stock or stew needs a strong base.

In Poland they call it “Wloszczyzna” or “Italian stuff,” because Queen Bona Sforza, who was Italian, introduced this cooking concept to Poland. In France it is “mirepoix,” but almost every cuisine uses a variation of it: two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery. These vegetables are slowly simmered to flavor the broth then the vegetables themselves are tossed out. Notable among these ingredients is celery.

Some of the best cooking celeries are heritage or heirloom, varieties rarely if ever seen in a market.

Seed Savers Exchange has just re-introduced Pink Plume celery originally introduced to American gardeners by Peter Henderson & Company in 1894. This rare celery (Apium graveolens) has pink stems topped by frilly feathery leaves. The compact, foot high plants have a deep, rich flavor, with hints of fennel. It is this sharp flavor that makes Pink Plume excellent for making soups and stocks, as well as a conversation piece at the table.

To grow a pale heart and tender inner stalks many varieties of celery are blanched by tying the outter leaves up around the stems, or somehow shading the celery plants so they lose their green, often bitter, tastes. Pink Plume celery is self-blanching, so the inner stalks and hearts are naturally delicate

But why stop at pink celery? Giant Red Celery is a large, cold hardy European heirloom with deep red stalks, and strong celery flavor.

Another colorful celery is Redventure, created by crossing Giant Red Celery with traditional green Ventura celery. Redventure matures with a golden-pink heart.

The variety Red Stalk celery has been around since the 1700s. This celery has somewhat thinner stalks than the usual green celery, but the deep flavor and shocking red stalks will make this one of your favorite cooking celeries.

Red and pink celery seeds are available from sources such as Seed Savers Exchange (3094 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.seedsavers.org; 563-382-5990); Sustainable Seed Company (355 E. 20th St., Chico, CA 95928 www.sustainableseedco.com; phone 877-620-7333); or Eagleridge Seeds Marsha Goldberg, 219 Eagle Ridge Drive, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, V8K 2L1 Canada Phone 250-537-5677).

Even though celery is a biennial, setting seeds the second year, it is usually grown as an annual. For best results choose rich, well drained soil containing lots of organic matter. Ideal soil pH is between 6.5 and 7.5. You can plant celery directly in the garden after the last spring frost, or you can start transplants indoors about six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Sow the seeds one half to three-quarters inches deep.

Thin the plants to stand about six inches apart in the row. To keep the soil cool and hold in moisture try mulching with straw, grass clippings or even leaves. Keep the plants well watered, but not soggy.

Celery is a heavy feeder meaning it needs lots of nutrients in the soil to grow well. Side dress with organic fertilizer or use a liquid fertilizer regularly, such as fish emulsion or sea kelp.

In the television program Doctor Who, the fifth incarnation of The Doctor wears a stalk of celery in his lapel, asserting that it is an excellent restorative. Indeed, celery is a good source of calcium, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, magnesium, phosphorus, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium.  Some say that celery juice can help lower blood pressure.

So grow some pink or celery and get ready for the liveliest sauces and soups you’ve ever tasted. Whether or not it will restore your health, try the rich deep flavor of pink celery and you’ll be tickled pink.