Celery, Par-cel, Celery leaf and Celeriac

Yes, you've guessed - I'm rummaging in my seed library again. 

There have been very few mentions of celery on G&G so I've decided to put this right! I'm guessing that celery is one of those Love it or Loathe vegetables - I'm probably more of a Loather which is why I have several packets of seeds. 

Apparently, the Celery family (Apiacae) can be split into 3  - those grown for stalks, leaves or roots.
Stalks - Monterey, Green Utah, Golden Self Blanching
Leaves - Par-cel, Celery leaf
Roots - Celeriac - Monarch, Asterix F1

Any celery experiences you'd care to share?

I like celery as a background flavour, and for the crunch in seafood mixes. Celery stalks are apparently calorie negative, as it takes more calories to crunch and chew a celery stalk than there is calories in it. That doesn't make me like it better. But it's nice cooked.

I prefer celeriac, but I've never successfully grown that. Maybe next year will be it
I've got par-cel seeds too, and will try that next year

Love it raw or cooked but never grown it successfully, maybe its time to try a self blanching type. I can't be faffed with trenches etc.

I’m definitely in the loathe camp.
But I have grown giant red. Just because you always find a recipe that calls for it. So I grew some, dried some of it ( which I still have ). I’ve not really noticed it make much of a difference to recipes that I’d normally just miss it out of.
I’ve also grown par-cel as microgreens. Didn’t like that either!

I've grown them all at one time or another as I love the celery taste.

I've grown normal celery (plagued with slugs) self blanching (tuff as auld boots) celariac (no bigger than tennis ball) and leaf celery.

I only grow leaf celery now (Kint sai) or its deriatives. A couple of leaves in a soup or stew gives me the desired taste. I have tried to perennialise it by chopping it right back. Some leaf celeries are supposed to be perennial but I have struggled to keep them going a second year. 

Have you tried Lovage, Vinny? Its part of the same family as Celery and is very definitely perennial. Its pickable throughout the year - I could cut a bunch of it now. Celery-ish taste.

Have you tried Lovage, Vinny? Its part of the same family as Celery and is very definitely perennial. Its pickable throughout the year - I could cut a bunch of it now. Celery-ish taste.

I've tried it ,it's the 'ish' bit I am not keen on. Has too strong a taste for my liking! Each to there own though!
It's really surprising how few leaves of kin-sai you need to flavour soup. I once made Jamie Olivers 'Zombie brain' out of a large celariac head. It was totally disgusting. (As a zombie brain probably would be?) I love cream of celery soup though.