Grow celery hearts on your windowsill this winter. It's easy and they're pretty and delicious.
Next time you buy a stalk of celery, cut the heel off about an inch from the bottom. That is, cut across the stalk so you have a crosswise slice off the end. Then do what we used to do with avocado pits - stick a few toothpicks in the side, fill a glass almost to the top with water, and rest the celery heel with toothpicks on the rim of the glass so that the bottom of the heel is just touching the water.
Keep the water at that level, and after a week or so, you'll have little celery hearts sprouting from the middle of the heel. They keep sprouting for weeks.
By Jantoo from Kenosha Co, WI
Editor's Note: This was a new one for me and I tried it. The picture is my celery heart plant. I bought some candle holders from Big Lots that work very well as a little vase for rooting. It was lovely and lasted for a long time. I'm going to start a new one and try planting it in the garden.
What a neat idea! This will extend the life of my celery even further. I already keep it wrapped in aluminum foil and that keeps it crisp and good for up to 6 weeks. Now I can use it from the windowsill, too. Thanks so much for this tip
Good idea to use a glass. I used an old pie pan and quickly got a few rotted roots last summer! The greens are tasty and light normally. My house bunny LOVES celery, so this is something I'll try for the winter time. God bless you. : )
O thanks! I plan on doing this tomorrow. Also, this is the time of year when I start a sweet potato in the window the same way. I've never tried eating anything from the yam but they vine well and create green all around my window. In the spring, if you live where you can grow yams, you take and cut between the leaves, you have starts for planting to create yams for your garden.
O and did you know you can cut the bottom of a pineapple and do the same, you'll get mini pineapples ymmm
