The phrase “celery smoothie” has become quite popular and is being shared more and more widely. This type of drink has many special effects: eliminating toxins, preventing cancer, improving body shape, beautifying skin, helping laxatives, etc. Celery juice is very good for health helps improve the body’s condition from the inside out. However, if you use fresh celery at room temperature, it is straightforward to spoil. If you love this drink and drink it regularly, you should freeze celery to make smoothies year-round.
Can you freeze celery to make smoothies?
Freezing celery is the best option for long-term preservation. You can freeze celery to make smoothies. The downside of this freezing method is that it has to be defrosted before use. Celery loses its elasticity and is not suitable for salads. However, this disadvantage turns into an advantage when making smoothies.
This process has many advantages over other forms of conservation.
- It does not require to add other preservatives, salt, sugar, and vinegar
- The frozen celery remains the same in taste, color, almost no difference, except low moisture.
- It does not take much time as you can easily make it at home.
- Your celery can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months.
When you freeze celery for smoothies, it feels natural cold, and you don’t have to worry about the harmful effects of defrosting.
Is celery good for health?
Celery is a herbaceous herb, a fairly tall plant, providing a variety of nutrients for the body. The plant originates in the Mediterranean Atlantic Ocean then spreads to Western countries, used in combination to treat many diseases of blood pressure, heart, and digestive system for humans.
Since celery is 95% water, many people may think that it does not contain many nutrients. However, celery contains several vitamins and minerals that are important for health, including:
Vitamins: Celery is rich in vitamin K, specifically it provides up to 25% of vitamin K per day for you. It also contains vitamin A, B, C
Minerals: Potassium, folate, choline, calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.
Carbs: Celery is often included in special diets because it contains very few calories and carbohydrates. Celery when chopped contains only about 3g of carbs and half of this is fiber.
In addition, celery a rich source of antioxidants and electrolytes which keep blood pressure stable, strengthen nerves, and increase muscle strength.
Why people love celery smoothies?
Celery is a very familiar vegetable in family meals. Celery smoothies are sought after by women not only for their skin moisturizing, brightening, and wrinkle prevention effects but also because celery helps prevent cancer, supports the treatment of diabetes, blood pressure, stroke, and cancer.
Especially purify the blood and reduce the amount of fat in the blood. Here are other benefits that celery offers:
Strengthen the bones
Celery smoothies bring many benefits to the joint system. Celery contains a large amount of Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin K. These are all very good minerals for bones, help keep bones strong, prevent common problems for bones and joints such as: inflammation, swelling, pain.
Weight loss
Detox celery, celery powder for weight loss is familiar for many women. The reason that celery smoothie can help you lose weight fast is due to its high fiber content. It makes you feel full faster, reduces food cravings, thereby reducing the number of calories put into the body, supporting good weight loss.
Because it contains very few calories, celery is perfect for those who need to lose weight, limit obesity or eat according to the EAT CLEAN method.
Moreover, losing weight with celery juice or smoothie is a safe solution with no side effects, helping to lose weight naturally, without gaining weight again.
Anti-aging
With antioxidants and high levels of vitamin K, celery maintain youthful appearance for the body and skin.
As 95% of celery is water, it will be an excellent source of moisture for the skin. In addition, the nutrients in celery also repel harmful free radicals that damage the skin, support to promote collagen production, help the skin stay firmer and more elastic.
How to freeze celery to make smoothies
If you just put celery in the freezer without prepping it, it will simply be an ice cube, and after defrosting, it will be complicated to wash and clean. A rotting stem of celery can spread the disease throughout the freezer and cause an unpleasant odor that is difficult to remove. To avoid such problems, you should carefully select celery and adequately frozen.
Prepare to be frozen
Before freezing celery, you should:
- Wash and clean of tough tendons and damaged pieces.
- Let them dry, so that excess liquid escapes without causing the celery to turn into ice when frozen.
Further reading: How Long Can You Keep Frozen Food in the Freezer?
How to freeze celery for smoothies
- Rinse the celery in a bowl of cool water. A significant effort is to wash fresh vegetables to remove dirt and bacteria. Put them in a basin of water and gently shake the pot with your hands to wash the vegetables thoroughly. Remove yellowed, damaged, or wilted leaves.
- Use paper to squeeze and blot the celery to dry. Fry the vegetables a few times to drain the water and wrap the vegetables in a stack of paper towels. Gently squeeze the paper towel to remove any water from the vegetables, then remove the vegetables and use a new paper towel to blot the vegetables as dry as possible.
- Cut vegetables into medium pieces to make smoothies. With large leaves, you can cut them into pieces.
- Freeze celery in a zippered and labeled bag. Squeeze air as much as possible without crushing the vegetables. Seal the bag and put it in the freezer. If you’re using a container to store celery, try to fill the box full of vegetables.
- Label the vegetable bag and freeze it. Use a pen to write on the pack. If there is room to write, write on an adhesive label and stick it on the bag.
How to defrost
If you’re using frozen celery to make your smoothie, you can add it to the blender directly from the freezer. However, if you want to use frozen celery in other recipes, defrost them first.
There are several ways to defrost celery. A straightforward method is to place them in a bowl or plate and defrost them at room temperature for about 2 hours.
Frozen celery sticks last longer than fresh celery and can be used in many smoothie recipes.
Try adding frozen celery to a high-powered blender to make smoothies. For more flavor, mix in some other fruit or nut milk.
Related questions
When is the best time to drink celery smoothie for best result?
According to nutrition experts, the best time to drink juice is in the morning. Celery smoothie is a good drink for the body, containing few calories. Therefore, you should eat breakfast after drinking celery smoothie 30 minutes. This helps to effectively lose fat without affecting the health.
What is the best way to preserve celery?
For best results, keep the celery head intact, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, then refrigerate as usual. When stored this way, celery stalks can maintain freshness for 2-4 weeks.
Can you freeze celery for stewing?
Yes, you can freeze celery for stewing. However, the celery will lose its crispiness. For this reason, frozen celery is best used in soups, stews, stuffings, and stir-fries and other hot dishes. You won’t be able to use defrosted celery for a serving tray. Eating raw won’t work because frozen celery is best for cooked dishes rather than eating raw.
Conclusion
Freezing celery is an easy way to extend the shelf life of celery for smoothies. This can be especially helpful if celery is too large and you are not ready to use them.
I hope this article helps you properly freeze celery and preserve it for a long time to make smoothies.
Reference:
How to Freeze Celery for Speedy Smoothies and Quick Soups and Stews, eatingwell.com, Retrieved on Feb. 26, 2022
