wash celery:

• Trim and wash the celery stalks.
• Remove all traces of grit and dirt from the celery, especially at the base of the stalks.
• Let the celery stalks drain and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.

slice or dice:

• Using a food processor fitted with a slicer blade, feed the celery stalks in to slice them uniformly and thinly.
• Alternately, you can use a mandoline slicer, or a sharp knife and a cutting board. It’s important to aim for uniformity and make the slices no more than 1/4″ thick so that they dry evenly without trapping moisture in the center.
• You can also cut the stalks in halves or thirds lengthwise (parallel to the celery strings) before slicing and then dice your celery (perpendicular to the strings) for smaller pieces. This is especially nice if you are making a homemade dried mirepoix mix with your dehydrated celery, or if you want celery flavor but with smaller vegetable pieces that re-hydrate more quickly.

blanch (optional, for longer storage & better quality):

• Blanching is an optional step that will help preserve color and nutrients for longer storage. If you will be using your dried celery within six months or so, you could skip this step, but for longer storage (up to 2 years) it’s recommended.
• You can steam blanch in a colander or do a quick boiling water bath dunk. You are not trying to cook the vegetables, just set the color.
• Steam or dunk the celery in the boiling water bath for about a minute, then cool rapidly in an ice bath. It should still be fairly crisp, not soft.
• Work in small batches so that the water stays hot- you want to keep the water at a full boil if you are water-blanching, and do a thin even layer if you are steam-blanching.
• Have your ice-bath ready before you start blanching so that you don’t overcook your celery.

dehydrate the celery:

• Spread the celery slices out in an even single layer on your dehydrator trays (or sheet pans, if you are oven drying).
• I like to use silicone mesh liners in my dehydrator trays, which keeps the celery from sticking to the trays or falling through them. The pieces will shrink a lot!
• Most dehydrators will finish drying celery in 6-12 hours at 135 deg F.
• If you are oven-drying, set you oven to the lowest temperature (usually 150 deg F) and prop the door open (best only done in winter, and not very efficient).
• Your batch size and how closely the slices are spaced will affect the drying time, so adjust as needed. Dehydration times will also vary with the power of your dehydrator… check your dehydrator manual for guidelines if you have one, but know that these are usually optimistic estimates unless you live in the desert!
• It’s better to over-dry than under-dry, especially with veggies like celery that you will be re-hydrating before use or powdering (where they need to be completely dry).
• Dry them until they are shriveled, hard, and pieces break with a snap. They will shrink down to a fraction of their original size & volume.

condition your dried celery:

• This is a good practice with all home dehydrated foods, and will help prevent mold in storage and equalizes moisture content in your dried foods for more consistent quality.
• To condition: place your freshly dehydrated food into a clear glass jar with a tightly fitting lid.
• Do not overfill the jar. You want the jar less than 2/3rd full, with room to shake and move the produce around. Split into several jars if necessary.
• Leave the dried food in the jar for several days or up to a week, shaking the jar periodically and checking for condensation and clumping that indicate uneven drying.
• If you see condensation in the jar, immediately return to the dryer or oven and dry again for a few more hours before re-conditioning.

package & store:

• After conditioning, divide your dried celery into storage containers and seal.
• You can pack in glass jars (new or reused) with tightly fitting lids, airtight plastic containers, and vacuum or mylar bags.
• Glass jars and mylar bags are best for long-term storage (plastic is porous and will let oxygen in over time, even with a vacuum seal or moisture absorber packets).
• Some people like to freeze-treat their home dried foods for additional protection against pests or spoilage. This is not the same as freeze-drying, but may extend shelf-life. If you have room in your freezer, you can also store your dried foods there. Make sure the bag is sealed and airtight, or you may create problems with condensation when you remove the bags from the freezer.

How to make homemade celery salt

make celery powder:

• Blend about a half cup of dried celery stalks and leaves.
• A blender or spice grinder is best for this, though you can use a food processor and then sift out the larger pieces.

add salt:

• Add an equal part of salt to the dried celery powder.
• Mix or shake well to combine. You can mix it carefully with the blender in small pulses, but don’t make the salt super-fine unless you prefer that!