Cutting Celery

Heard of it? We hadn't, so we ended up planting enough for a big, healthy bed of it. Call it a successful, if unintentional, experiment. I like cutting celery's vibe. When it's neighbors were droopy or bolting, complaining in some way, it seemed just dandy. It's season is also longer (and earlier) than regular celery, a plus for spring or late fall soups.

Cutting celery looks like a hardier cousin of flat-leafed parsley, but the smell and ridged stem will end any confusion. The flavor is a bit stronger than regular celery--a few sprigs will substitute for one stalk (i heard)--and it holds its flavor when dried.

I first tried substituting cutting celery in my lazy sunday lentil recipe.