Celery seed storage – How to harvest celery seeds

Celery seed is a common kitchen staple, used in salads, dressings and other recipes. It is available in supermarkets, but think about the taste you would get from fresh celery seed. Storing celery seeds requires little time and knowledge about the life cycle of celery. Here are a few tips on how to harvest celery seeds so that you can capture the intense flavor of the spice when it is fresh.

Celery seed collection

Celery seed has long been used as a medicine and spice. As an herb, it was thought to aid digestion and appetite, cure colds and flu, improve liver and spleen health, treat arthritis, and even help reduce water retention. Today, it is mainly used as a condiment. When you know how to store celery seeds properly, fresh seeds can last up to 5 years. It is a long shelf life product in the spice pantry that costs nothing and can improve your health.

Celery is a biennial plant. This means that it will not flower until the second year and you certainly cannot start harvesting celery seeds before that date. While waiting for the flowers that contain the seeds, you can harvest the tasty stalks, but do not take the middle stalk which is where the flower will form.

In the second year, the central stem swells and an umbel or umbrella-shaped flower appears. The umbel is created from many small flowers on short stems. Each bouquet is a small white flower that collectively creates a star. Bees and butterflies are very enthusiastic about the flowers, which resemble Queen Anne’s lace.

With time, the white petals will begin to fall and the ovary will swell. This is where the seed develops.

Celery seed harvest

Wait for the seeds to dry and turn brown before harvesting the celery seeds. The swollen ovaries develop a shell that is hard when ripe and deepens in color. The seeds will have vertical ridges on the edges that are lighter in color than the rest of the seed.

You know it’s harvest time, when the seeds fall at the slightest touch or breeze. Harvesting the tastiest celery seeds depends on careful observation to make sure the seed is ripe.

When the head of the flower is dry and the individual seeds are hard and dark in color, cut the flower carefully and shake the seed into a bag. You can also bend the stem of the flower in a bag and shake it. This will reduce the loss of seeds when cutting the flower head.

Once the celery seed harvest is over, it is time to store the seed to preserve its freshness and flavor.

Celery seed storage

To preserve whole seeds, collect the remains of flowers and make sure the seeds are dry before packing them in a container. Place the seeds in a glass container with an airtight lid. Label and date the seeds.

Store the seeds in a cool, dark place for up to 5 years. Most cooks use whole celery seeds, but you can also choose to grind them. Use a coffee grinder or mortar to make freshly ground celery seeds, which disperse more evenly in a dish.

Storing celery seeds from the garden is an excellent way to harvest the natural and fresh flavors of the seasoning and has a more intense flavor than the seeds previously packed in the store. By storing these celery in the second year, you will always have tender perimeter ribs to eat fresh, as well as the starry glow of the flowers. Harvesting celery seeds is just another advantage in the life cycle of the humble celery.