Lino Celery - Apium graveolens

Lino branch celery is a descendant of a plant called Marsh Ache, native to the Mediterranean. Celery was not considered a vegetable but a medicinal plant until the Renaissance. The Vert d'Elne variety has a compact and vigorous habit, with gutter-shaped, wide, fleshy leaves of a tender green colour. This variety's vegetable plugs are planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest in autumn.

Celery is a vegetable of the Apiaceae family (formerly Umbelliferae) and comes in various forms. The most common are celeriac, branch celery, and cutting celery. These three types of celery originate from the same plant, marsh ache. The latter is a hardy perennial plant, native to Mediterranean countries, and is also known as perpetual celery.

In terms of cooking, celeriac is grown for its large, round, pungent-flavoured root. It can be consumed raw (grated, in remoulade...) or cooked (mashed, gratin, or sautéed). Branch celery is grown for its stalks, which are the main veins of its leaves. These can be eaten raw with salt, for example, or cooked to flavour soups or sauces. The leaves of cutting celery are similar to those of parsley and are perfect for flavouring soups or stews. Celery is rich in vitamins, minerals, and low in calories.

In the vegetable garden, plant celery in a sunny or semi-shaded spot. It is a hardy plant that can reach 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28in) in height for celeriac and branch celery. Only cutting celery is shorter and can be grown in a pot.

Harvesting: For branch celery and cutting celery, pick the leaves at the base according to your needs in autumn. Before winter frosts, you can completely remove the plug and store it in a cellar for several weeks. As for celeriac, it is harvested in autumn and before the first frosts. Dig up the bulbs, let them dry for a day on the ground, and cut off the leaves above the collar as well as the rootlets.

also reduces weed growth.