How To Tell If Celery Is Bad? (Signs And Shelf Life Tips 2022)

Celery is a well-loved spice and garnish for many dishes, but it would do no good if you add a bad one. Read on to know how to tell if celery is bad.

Celery is one of the many herbs that are best consumed fresh. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, about 15.59 million cwt (hundredweight) in 2017 alone. This means that almost all the celery produced in that year was used.

And this is excellent, really. Raw celery is rich in vitamins and minerals. But once it’s gone bad, it’s nothing more than just a piece of leafy greens.

So, how to tell if celery is bad? You need the trick if you love using celery in a lot of dishes as well as in your detox drinks.

Eager to know? Read on:

How To Tell If Celery Is Bad?

There are various ways on how you can tell if your celery has gone bad, and we will discuss the most common ones below:

1. The Color

Just by looking at it, you can have a pretty good guess whether your celery is bad or not. Fresh celery often has lush green leaves with light green and white stems.

If the leaves start to have yellow and black spots, then it is an indication of rotting. You also need to check the base of the stem and see if the inside part starts to turn brown or reddish-brown. This is a sign of fungus infection that causes rotting.

2. The Texture

A healthy and fresh celery has firm and crisp stems. You can simply touch the leaves of the celery and feel their texture. If the leaves and upper stem feel limp, then it’s no longer fresh and may already be bad.

You can also try cutting it using an herb knife. If the stems feel like rubber when cut, then it might be exposed to too much moisture and the inside of the stalks is already starting to rot.

3. The Taste

Sometimes, your celery may still look green and not that limp to touch, so you think it’s still fresh to use as a garnish for your dish.

However, if a celery is exposed to chemicals, this allows them to preserve their appearance even though the inside of the stalks is already rotting. You won’t know this, of course, until you take your first bite.

How do you know if celery is bad?

Fresh celery should taste watery and has a bit of saltiness and bitterness that linger after the first bite. Some people say it does taste a bit like spinach but softer. If it is too bitter or has no taste at all, then you are most likely eating a bad one.

How To Store Celery?

One trick to prevent celery from rotting is to store it properly. Once you know how to store this herb the right way, then you won’t be asking, how to tell when celery is bad?

If you are curious as to how to extend its shelf life, then we have some tips to share with you:

Using A Paper Towel

This is perhaps the conventional way of storing celery. The paper towel will absorb all the excess moisture in the leaves and stems. Be careful not to press too much as it will cause damage to the stems and leaves which you do not want to happen since you are trying to preserve them.

Once all the water is one, you may keep the celery in a sealed container.

Wrapping In Aluminum Foil

Another trick is to store the celery in an aluminum foil instead of using a sealed container. Store it in the vegetable section of your fridge and avoid putting it near other vegetables that are prone to moisture and rotting.

Using an aluminum foil also allows you to save space in the fridge.

Frozen Celery

Is it okay to freeze celery?

Yes, you may do so, but the herb might lose its crispiness. So, if you intend to use it as a garnish, this might not be the best storage method. However, if you only want to use it for soups and other hot dishes, then frozen celery is a great idea.

So, how to tell if celery is bad?

Overall, it depends on food hygiene and storage.

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