On the European continent celery is best known as a vegetable, used together with carrot and parsley root in soups, beef dishes, and in raw or cooked salads. It was already being grown for this purpose by gardeners of ancient times.
The Greeks and Romans, however, cultivated some varieties with lush foliage and others grown for their delicate leaf stalks which were blanched by earthing up the plants as they grew. In those days celery was the symbol of grief and death. It was dedicated to the gods of the underworld, eaten at funeral banquets and woven into wreaths that were placed on graves.
Chervil combined with parsley, tarragon and chives make a fines herbes mixture used in omelettes. It is also used to flavour vegetables, meats (chiefly mutton), roast chicken and grilled fish. Chervil soup made of beef bouillon, cream and egg yolks was very popular at one time. On hot summer days chervil provides welcome variety when mixed with cream cheese or simply sprinkled on bread and butter. The leaves can be steeped in white wine vinegar to make a delicious salad dressing.
The leaves, too, may be used to flavour foods. They are cooked together with the .stalks and removed before the food is served. If they are stripped from the thick stalks the leaves can be readily dried.
This should be a shaded spot for chervil does not tolerate sun-baked locations. To ensure a constant supply of foliage, cut out the flower stalks, for otherwise chervil dries up and dies after flowering.
The flowers are collected by hand in succession as soon as they are fully open and then dried as rapidly as possible in a well-ventilated place at a temperature not exceeding 30 C (86 F). They must be dried thoroughly to prevent spoiling caused by moisture condensation on overheating.
The Greeks and Romans, however, cultivated some varieties with lush foliage and others grown for their delicate leaf stalks which were blanched by earthing up the plants as they grew. In those days celery was the symbol of grief and death. It was dedicated to the gods of the underworld, eaten at funeral banquets and woven into wreaths that were placed on graves.
Chervil combined with parsley, tarragon and chives make a fines herbes mixture used in omelettes. It is also used to flavour vegetables, meats (chiefly mutton), roast chicken and grilled fish. Chervil soup made of beef bouillon, cream and egg yolks was very popular at one time. On hot summer days chervil provides welcome variety when mixed with cream cheese or simply sprinkled on bread and butter. The leaves can be steeped in white wine vinegar to make a delicious salad dressing.
The leaves, too, may be used to flavour foods. They are cooked together with the .stalks and removed before the food is served. If they are stripped from the thick stalks the leaves can be readily dried.
This should be a shaded spot for chervil does not tolerate sun-baked locations. To ensure a constant supply of foliage, cut out the flower stalks, for otherwise chervil dries up and dies after flowering.
The flowers are collected by hand in succession as soon as they are fully open and then dried as rapidly as possible in a well-ventilated place at a temperature not exceeding 30 C (86 F). They must be dried thoroughly to prevent spoiling caused by moisture condensation on overheating.
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