Charlie’s Garden – Celery Leaf

Celery_Leaf

At the end of March I began growing an extensive herb garden. (Most of which began from seed). I’m now growing over thirty herbs and counting. It’s been an amazing eye opener so far. Every day I’m learning about new herbs and ways in which I can add them to my daily nutrition plan to increase the nutritional density of my meals. There are herbs that I never knew existed and herbs that smell absolutely divine (e.g the lovely Myrtle). There are also herbs such as Perilla Green that completely add a new element of flavour to dishes that some might consider as being plain or lacking taste e.g spinach.

As my herb garden becomes established I’ll be introducing you to each and every one that I’m growing, showing you ways that herbs can transform the way you eat and most importantly how you feel. It’s going to be a really naturey summer!

Celery Leaf

Before March I had never come across celery leaf in herb form. I had always thought that you could only harvest celery leaf from the top of a celery stick and I hadn’t for a moment thought that it held any viable nutritional value to the extent that I might grow it in leaf form. When I first realised that celery leaf could be grown specifically as a herb leaf I got hold of some seeds and decided to give it a go. I planted seeds mid March and now (early June) the leaves are at full height and are ready for harvesting. Celery leaf has a much stronger taste than a celery stick so in many ways this makes it easier to cook with. This week I’ve been adding it to soup and a little really does go a long way. I’ve prepared a little infographic and as you can see in the picture there are some great medicinal benefits of celery leaf. As well as it being a great antioxidant it can also stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin in order to reduce blood glucose levels which a) helps stop blood sugar spikes and therefore prevents hunger pangs and b) helps with overall inch loss, (as over time your blood sugar levels will become more regulated and insulin sensitivity levels will decrease). There are so many more benefits but as I recommend with all herbs, do your own research as there are some herbs that might have contraindications and some that may not suitable for your needs.
celery-leaf-infographic

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