Celery! (and a recipe too!)

Vince was cautioned that it is very difficult to grow celery here and not to mess with it. So of course he had to try.  This year was attempt number two.  Unlike last time, it worked! We harvested beautiful, crisp celery.  It is darker green and smaller than conventional celery found in the supermarket, and a little sweet. And when cooked, it becomes even sweeter.  It was a hard sell at first, but after one week at the market, we had repeat customers the next week coming specifically to us for the crunchy green goodness. 

After his suggestions for "ants on a log" were shot down, and unsure of the best way to preserve celery, Vince found a recipe for mirepoix. We were told by a customer that it is possible to blanch and freeze celery for use in cooking (it will be limp) and after more research, found that it can be dried or stored with the roots on in a root cellar. That being said, Anna had already chopped her way through this recipe that also called for more things we just happened to have around here: carrots and onions.  I'm told by my friend, Jeanna Stroble, who knows all things French, that you can also use olive oil in place of the butter.  We made large batches and froze it in portions for future use. Below is the recipe.

Mirepoix

A traditional French mixture containing finely diced carrots, onions, and celery, seasoned with minced herbs, and sauteed in butter is commonly called mirepoix (pronounced: "meer-pwah"). A bit of smoked meat is sometimes added to the dish to add flavor, small cubes of ham or bacon. A mirepoix is used to season stews, soups, sauces, and fricasses. It is also common to use it as a base for braising meats or fish.
Ingredients:

1 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons butter 
dash pepper

Directions:

Dice the onion, carrot, and celery in small, uniform pieces. Melt butter in a cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Add celery, carrot, onion, and pepper. Sautee until vegetables are tender.

Here is what the website added:
Mirepoix is great cooked with chicken or beef in a crock pot. With beef try adding some canned green beans and some diced tomatoes, with a bit of garlic, pepper, basil, oregano, and just a slim dash of cilantro.
After frying pork chops, you can deglaze the pan by pouring in some of the mixture after the meat has fried and quickly removing the caramelization - do not allow the mirepoix to burn, but just pick up the flavor of the meat and caramel. A little can be poured over the chops like a sauce when they are served.
There are many more ways of using mirepoix, the only limit is your imagination.

Link to Mirepoix recipe and tips for preserving celery