Hard Times at the Central District Safeway

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There's more flavor in the inner stalks and leaves. Dice it and throw it in your salad/soup. I'd be more likely to throw away the outer stalks (compost, actually, especially if I'm out of peanut butter or cream cheese) or bypass the aboveground portion entirely and boil up a nice celery root.

rob! on October 13, 2011 at 4:28 PM

I like to buy fresh basil and was buying it for $.99 a bunch at Carpinito's Bros. farmers market. Of course, I would only use a few leaves and it would end up turning to mush.

Last time, I just broke off two leaves and put them in my shopping bag (I use a big blue plastic one from IKEA that makes me look like a migrant worker).

If they want to charge me two cents. Go ahead. If not. Then thank you. But I don't want a bag of soggy, molding basil leaves in my vegetable drawer.

Supreme Ruler Of The Universe on October 13, 2011 at 4:35 PM

This is why many grocery stores sell individual stalks of celery as an alternate to purchasing an entire bunch, although of course they also upcharge for this, so it basically comes out to about the same price-per-pound (if not in fact slightly higher) than if you bought the bunch in the first place. Same goes for broccoli "crowns", for which you pay more than you would if you bought it with the stalk-on (and which, BTW you can still use if you trim off the tough outer layer and slice up the broccoli "shoots" to go into your stir-fry).

COMTE on October 13, 2011 at 4:42 PM

Hell yeah, rob! The inner stalks are so tender and lovely. C'mon, people.

gloomy gus on October 13, 2011 at 4:50 PM

Agreed. Inside celery is the bomb.

leek on October 13, 2011 at 4:51 PM

You can use the broccoli stalk! Just trim off the hard exterior skin, slice it thin and steam, saute, bake, etc. like the florets. The stalk is flavorful and you also won't be WASTING FOOD.

danindowntown on October 13, 2011 at 4:53 PM

I normally buy celery for logs (ants on log sans raisins, peanut butter variety). Those inner bits are too flimsy, even when placed in a cup of water in the fridge. God, I really do love celery! When it gets wilty and you can chop the end and put it in a cup and make it stiff again? That's almost like magic to me!

derek_erdman on October 13, 2011 at 4:56 PM

If you put enough peanut butter on it, it becomes Sublime.

UncleVinny on October 13, 2011 at 5:01 PM

When I don't know what we have at home, I try to buy only enough perishables as dinner will call for.

internet_jen on October 13, 2011 at 5:04 PM

@7 I did not know that. I feel like I have gained something reading slog today.

Conrad McMasters on October 13, 2011 at 5:08 PM

We need some sort of term for people who orphan perfectly lovely pieces of vegetables. The center part of celery is wonderfully tender, and the leaves are excellent in soup or in tuna/chicken salad. And I prefer broccoli stems because I can shape them however I like for stir fry. It makes me sad when I see evidence of uncreative and singular uses of vegetables.

MemeGene on October 13, 2011 at 5:09 PM

OMG THOSE CELERIES ARE HALF-WRAPPED IN PLASTIC!

PLASTIC!! WE'LL ALL BE KILLLLED!!!!!!!!

merry on October 13, 2011 at 5:10 PM

East-coaster here. Except for the Asian markets, where they sell a different variety of celery, I've only ever seen celery sold here in bags, by the bunch. It's got to be the cheapest vegetable you can buy, a few pounds for a buck or so.

My problem with celery is I never get to use more than half of it before the remainder dies in the fridge and needs tossing. I have thought about cutting it into useful-sized pieces, blanching and freezing recipe portions in baggies. That would give me stuff for soups and stews for a couple months. But, I'm lazy, and celery is so cheap...

Oh, the guilt!

Brooklyn Reader on October 13, 2011 at 5:11 PM

they sell broccoli crowns if you're too lazy to trim the stalks.

Max Solomon on October 13, 2011 at 5:14 PM

Here's a fun fact: in Europe, you can buy frozen celery stalks. Not good for ants-on-a-log or salads, but perfectly cromulent for soups and mirepoix. So, if you're worried your celery is going to go floppy and bad, clean it and bag it and throw it in the freezer.

Luckier on October 13, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Is this at the Madison Safeway? The produce boys are oh so friendly there!

on October 13, 2011 at 5:33 PM

If you find yourself throwing away a lot of produce, get some Debbie Meyer Green Bags (Bed Bath & Beyond has them, ~$10/20 bags)—plastic bags that absorb ethylene gas, which accelerates ripening/spoilage of produce. Use for lettuce, celery, broccoli, etc. in the fridge, bananas at room temp. Fold the ends over carefully and close with a chip-clip (don't use twist-ties), and they'll last a long time. Wipe out excess moisture when you remove veggies for use, and rinse/dry when you've used up whatever was stored in them.

I like my bananas slightly starchy with a little green on the ends (hate brown and mushy), and the bags keep them that way at room temp for a week or so. Bagged veggies in the fridge stay fresh-looking for weeks. I use them for low-key thank-you gifts too, along with a card of chip-clips from the dollar store.

rob! on October 13, 2011 at 5:38 PM

Madison Market's up the street: cheaper, organic, mostly local, no ridiculous plastic machine wrap. Buying produce at QFC and Safeway and Trader Joe's is weird.

raku on October 13, 2011 at 5:41 PM

I'm with the inner-stalks crowd. I love them raw. I use the outer stalks only for cooking.

thatsnotright on October 13, 2011 at 5:47 PM

My first girl friend used to get kind of high eating celery.

ejamadoodle on October 13, 2011 at 6:11 PM

I love the response from the manager. What a great perspective and decent man. Can only imagine the things he sees every day, yet still focusing on keeping good customers happy. Wish there was more of this attitude with businesses.

stiffyspeedo on October 13, 2011 at 6:23 PM

I've tried to cook with the broccoli stems after I saw it suggested on the Food Network years ago, but I just can't get into it. I guess I can see how it would work in a stir-fry, although I generally don't like stir-fry, but I think the stalks don't have enough flavor to stand on their own.

@13 and 15,

I freeze my extra celery for stock, when I remember to do it before it goes bad.

keshmeshi on October 13, 2011 at 6:23 PM

It would be easy to either starve to death (buying high end organic etc) or get very fat (eating cheapshit quasi-food) on a poor student's budget. Which is why I love celery. It's so freaking cheap and I can make both soup AND salad out of it, inner and outer stalks alike!

Stiny on October 13, 2011 at 6:24 PM

I was just at that Safeway and saw that celery, still laying there, abandoned and sad looking, and thought "what kind of monster just takes the outside stalks and leaves the best part?"

Quincent on October 13, 2011 at 6:28 PM

Mirepoix, folks. Dice celery (any bits), carrot, onion. No knife skills? Toss in food processor, pulse a couple of times. You're left with a rough sludge. This is the basis for every kind of soup or stew imaginable. Heat some olive oil, toss in the mirepoix, cook for a few mintues without browning, then continue with recipe. Adds tons of flavor & aroma.

Cornichon on October 13, 2011 at 6:31 PM

from Lidia's Italy, this sounds like a good way to use all the celery. Sounds pretty earthy and pragmatic to me.

pissy mcslogbot on October 13, 2011 at 6:58 PM

@25 thank you, especially since fall is basically here & winter is coming.

this guy I know in Spokane on October 13, 2011 at 7:20 PM

The bags are there as a marketing ploy, specifically to make you feel exactly as you posted, that you have to buy the whole thing, even though they are sold by the pound. This is 100% ethical, it is the bag that is wrong.

I will take grapes out of the bag, asparagus out of the rubber band -- if it is sold by the pound I can take as much or as little as I like.

Also - when my celery is about to turn I chop it up and freeze it for soups. Same goes with carrots and bok choy.

vavavarooooom on October 13, 2011 at 7:20 PM

I agree with @28.

this guy I know in Spokane on October 13, 2011 at 7:45 PM

I don't think I've ever seen celery sold by weight, its always sold by the bunch, probably to prevent this from happening.

Ziggy66 on October 13, 2011 at 8:09 PM

Basil Bandit @2?

Geraldo Riviera on October 13, 2011 at 8:39 PM

Kudos to keshmeshi @22, keeping a bag in the freezer for all those onion skins, celery bits, carrot ends, chard ribs, and all those other veggie tailings to make stock later has really improved my cooking

NaFun on October 13, 2011 at 9:00 PM

This article is RIVETING!

mAlissa on October 13, 2011 at 9:05 PM

If the inner stalks and broccoli stems are so good - they should sell them separately.

in-frequent on October 13, 2011 at 9:39 PM

I've never seen celery sold by the pound.

Mr.Designer on October 14, 2011 at 3:31 AM

We make our celery last longer by storing it upright in a plastic bag with a bit of water at the base. We use a rubber band to keep the bag secure.

SCalmlyW on October 14, 2011 at 7:36 AM

That seems like a kind of theft to me.

No one is going to buy an opened, half-eaten bunch of celery. The store is going to throw that away. Sure, it's not a lot of money, but it's still a loss for them.

on October 14, 2011 at 8:13 AM

I break celery bunches in half all the time. I don't need the whole bunch and, since it is (almost always) charged by the pound, I take just what I need. I know someone else will come along and want the other half, since they probably also don't want unused celery growing limp in their "crisper" so I really don't feel like this is thievery. I've never just taken the outer stalks but it seems like there are plenty of folks who prefer that who would snatch that up so I just don't think this is a big deal at all.

Baby Blue on October 14, 2011 at 9:41 AM

I don't like the outer portions of celery - too stringy, too bitter. I only eat the hearts as a raw vegetable. The outer portion gets chopped up and cooked in soups and stews.

Geni on October 14, 2011 at 12:25 PM

I wasn't sure from the manager's answer: Is he saying that leaving the inner celery behind is stealing? If so, that's kind of fucked.

B. Beatsie on October 16, 2011 at 10:07 AM

Hard Times at the Central District Safeway

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