Locally grown celery is especially unlike any you can find in the store. It contains the dark green, potent outer stalks, along with the sweet, tender, blanched inner stalks. Plus it is like a two-in-one in that the leaves are still attached, and they contain lots of flavor! Celery leaves make excellent soup flavoring, "celery chips" (oiled, salted and baked at 300F until crispy), as well as pesto:
CELERY-LEAF PESTO RECIPE:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
2-5 garlic cloves
GRIND THESE IN A FOOD PROCESSOR
3 cups celery leaves (feel free to mix it up with parsley/fennel/basil)
1/2 cup favorite oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sweet white miso (optional, although highly recommended; increase salt if you do not use)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
ADD THESE AND GRIND FURTHER
ENJOY ALONGSIDE ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES, RICE, ON BREAD OR PASTA!