Celeriac 'Brilliant'
Yes, we need celery in SO MANY recipes and no, very few of us can actually grow it at home. Why? Most of us don't have that somewhat swampy climate with steady temperatures here, not to mention a home blanching and irrigation set up. What we can grow extremely well here in the Upper Midwest is the long-term winter storage version of celery, this handy knobby root. Set out the seedlings in spring, maintain even moisture and by September you'll have gnarly brown globes topped with small clumps of strongly flavored deep green celery. Keep the tops for soup stock or dry them as a herb, then fill the root cellar with bags of roots. Trim off as much of the clean white flesh as you need (sans peel), and use wherever you're seeking that celery flavor. Traditional Central European favorite.
