Growing Celeriac

Celeriac (Apium graveolens Rapaceum Group) (also known as 'turnip-rooted celery' or 'knob celery'), is a specially selected Cultivar Group of celery, grown as a root vegetable for its large and well-developed taproot rather than for its stem and leaves. The root is used when it is about 10-12 cm diameter, or the size of a large potato. Celeriac may be used raw or fresh. It is best to peel celeriac before use, since the outer skin is tough and stringy.

Its culture is the same as that of celery, and the enlarged roots can be used at any time after they are big enough. The late-summer crop of celeriac may be stored for winter use. In areas having mild winters the roots may be left in the ground and covered with a mulch of several inches of straw or leaves, or they may be lifted, packed in moist sand, and stored in a cool cellar.

It has the celery flavor, so it is often used as a flavoring in soups and stews; it can also be mashed or used in casseroles and baked dishes. The hollow stalk of the upper plant can be cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed out, and used for tomato drinks such as the Bloody Mary. The tomato juice moving through the stalk is lightly permeated with the celery flavor.

It is not as popular as it might be, especially in the western hemisphere, very possibly owing to its garish appearance before cleaning: it has been described as "a vegetable octopus", owing to the tangle of unsightly rootlets that grow at the base.

Start your plants with seed started indoors in individual cell trays eight weeks before the last frost. Transplant into an area of your garden that gets direct sun. The soil should be moist and slightly acidic ( pH 5.5 to 6.5 ), rich in organic matter with lots of compost tilled into the soil.

The soil should be at least 50 F (10 C) before transplanting and the seedlings spaced 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) apart. Add additional mulch or compost after planting, periodically checking and clipping off any small feeder roots.

Celeriac can be harvested as soon as the root ball reaches about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Cut them with a small amount of root attached to avoid bleeding. Cool weather enhances the plants conversion of starch to sugar making it taste even sweeter. This is the best time of the year to harvest you Celeriac.

Celeriac has good keeping properties, and should last 3 to 4 months if stored between 0° and 5° C (32 and 38 F) and not allowed to dry out.