March is known as National Celery Month, and it’s the perfect time of year for people to add this member of the parsley family to their diet. This vegetable has been used by humankind for thousands of years, and scientists believe that it originated in the Mediterranean and was originally used for medicinal purposes.

During the 17th century, the French began to use celery as a flavoring because those strains of celery were extremely pungent. As gardeners began to grow wild celery during cooler months, the flavor of celery began to become milder until it was pretty much the mild vegetable that it is today. Today, celery is good for making Waldorf Slaw, Stock, Bulgur Salad, and for about a hundred other uses.

Interesting Facts About Celery

We usually take the time when we’re covering a new holiday or observance month to go into depth about its history, but we couldn’t find out who invented National Celery Month or when they likely invented it.

That’s why we decided to change our focus to finding out some fun facts about this vegetable. Facts that we could share with everyone below. Let’s take a quick look at them before moving on with how this month is observed.

• The ancient Greeks awarded athletes during the Olympic Games with celery flowers.
• During the 16th century, it was used as food in Italy. In the 17th century, it was used as food in France.
• Celery wasn’t introduced to the United States until the mid-19th century.
• One ounce of celery seeds can produce an acre of celery.
• Some people are allergic to celery. In fact, it’s one of the most common food allergies in Europe.
• Celeryville, Ohio, was founded by celery farmers during the 1800s.

Observing National Celery Month

In the United States, approximately 5 pounds of celery is consumed per capita, but we think that figure is going to go way up thanks to National Celery Month. During this month, people are going to be making celery smoothies, adding celery to salads, or simply using celery in mixed drinks (think Bloody Mary).

People can also enjoy celery juice; make a nice roast with potatoes, carrots, and celery; or add celery to their tuna fish sandwiches. No matter how a person uses it, however, they should make sure to spread the word about this month using the hashtag #NationalCeleryMonth. We want to see all of the creative ways that celery can be used.