Dried Celery

It's the weekend.

For me, this means I've survived yet another week of graduate school and several overnight shifts at work.  This semester has been the hardest for me so far to adjust to.  I know that eventually it will all be worth it, but for now, cooking has become less of a little hobby and more of a therapeutic outlet and stress reliever.  I don't get to cook everyday anymore, so my weekends are my days to get in some quality time with my kitchen.

One of the things I've really come to enjoy over the last six or so months has been drying vegetables and herbs.  I grew a small herb garden last summer, and loved drying the herbs out to keep for the long winter.  It feels so good to incorporate an ingredient that you grew yourself when you're living in a season that doesn't let anything grow!  It just sort of makes it feel that much more homemade and personal.  

I love having a cabinet full of all sorts of delicious seasonings that I can use whenever I want, regardless of the season.  For instance, celery is super cheap and easy to find, but I still often find myself without it from time to time.  Either my schedule is too hectic and I've forgotten to pick some up with my groceries, or I've used it all up in soups, dinners or as a snack that I can take to work with me.  

When that happens, I look to my spice rack to see if I've got anything that might do in a pinch.  I bought my first house a few years ago, and my mother gave me all sorts of herbs and spices to fill my kitchen with.  I've had celery salt and celery seed in there for the longest time. but only just started using them in cooking as a celery substitute.  It seemed logical to me...

Now, I have a very large assortment of herbs and spices in my house, and many have been grown, dried and/or ground by me.  I've got four jars devoted specifically to the celery flavor that I'm going to share with you.  I got the idea to do this from Health Starts In The Kitchen and I'm so thankful I found this post because I'm developing a super passion for growing and drying my own herbs!

Dried Celery

(adapted from Health Starts In The Kitchen)

5-6 stalks of celery

Cut the celery into little pieces.  I cut each stalk in half lengthwise, and then went for about 1/4" thick slices.  You want them fairly uniform in shape and size so they all dry at the same time.

Place in a dehydrator or on a large baking sheet 1 layer thick.  Again, layering or stacking the celery on top of each other will change the time it takes it to dry out.

Set the temperature for 125F and let dry for 6-12 hours with the oven door slightly ajar, checking every few hours to see if it's done.  It should be able to break or crumble when you apply pressure to it.

Store in an airtight container.