I have 2 celery plants and have been told that i need to put a tube round the stems, now i understand this is apparently to make the stems go white. My question is this does it make a difference to the taste, growth rate etc?
cheers
Mick
I have always gone with the idea that blanching the stems does actually enhance flavour and tenderness but that it isn't essential, nothing wrong with green celery (same as with leeks) - not sure how much myth or truth there is in that though, perhaps it is down to personal taste
That's good question. I can't answer it definitively and would like to know the answer, but I can say:
a) a lot of varieties of celery are 'self-blanching' which means unlike traditional varieties, they don't need to be earthed up or enclosed.
b) I grew both types last year without earthing up either and there wasn't much difference between the two - the original variety (Granada F1) was perhaps a little firmer.
PS They get unhappy if they don't get enough water.
It will make a difference to the growth if you collar it as the plant want light so you will get longer celery
Makes sense. I could try it with an old rhubarb forcer but I think it might be too big.
What about the tenderness / taste aspect? Anyone have an answer?
Use cardboard wrapped round the plant as collars and it should not affect taste or tenderness