Chinese celery is an aromatic plant with a strong, peppery flavor, thin, hollow, crisp stems, and delicate leaves. It is smaller than Western celery and is often used in soups, stir-fries, and other dishes for its potent taste, which becomes milder when cooked. Also known as kintsai or leaf celery, it is commonly used in Asian cuisines. 

Appearance: It features long, narrow, hollow stems that can be white to dark green, or even pink depending on the variety. The leaves are delicate and wispy.

Flavor: It has a pungent and peppery flavor that is more intense than standard celery. The taste softens and sweetens when cooked.

Usage: It is rarely eaten raw and is primarily used for flavoring in cooked dishes. It is excellent in stir-fries, soups, and fried rice. Both the stems and leaves are edible.

Growing: Chinese celery is often easier to grow than its Western counterparts and can be cultivated in smaller spaces like pots. It is typically grown as an annual, though it is technically a biennial. 

Kintsai Chinese Yellow Stem Celery, Boly, Cutting Celery, Nan Ling, Gin Cai, Kun Choy, Kan Tsoi

Yellow celery, such as ‘Golden Self Blanching’ or Chinese yellow-stem types, is valued for its tender, pale yellow to golden stalks and its milder, sweeter flavor compared to traditional green celery. The stalks are crisp yet delicate, often with less fiber and occasional hollow centers, especially in Chinese varieties. Many yellow celery types are considered self-blanching, meaning they naturally develop their light color without soil mounding, though some benefit from light blanching for the best color and tenderness. Popular varieties include ‘Golden Self Blanching,’ ‘Golden Boy,’ ‘Golden Pascal,’ and ‘Yellow Stem.’ Thanks to its gentle celery flavor and succulent texture, yellow celery is excellent for fresh eating in salads, adds refined crunch to stir-fries and soups, and works well as a subtle flavoring ingredient in a wide range of dishes.

Packet: 9-10 grams of seed

Cutting Celery is a form of celery that's grown for its leaves and seeds instead of its stems. Plants are closely related to wild celery, are looser and leafier than stalk-celery, and often have a stronger flavor.

Tall Utah celery produces long, thick, dark green stalks that are crisp, sweet, and flavorful, reaching heights of up to 50-75 cm (20-30 inches). This reliable, disease-resistant, and slow-to-bolt heirloom variety is known for its strong flavor, tight, well-formed hearts, and ability to hold its color and form for late-season harvest. No blanching is needed, making it a popular choice for both home gardens.

Utah Celery, specifically the "Tall Utah" variety, originated in Utah in the 1940s, developed by Chinese and Japanese gardeners who crossbred existing varieties to tolerate the region's alkali soils. This sturdy, tall, and sweet celery became a popular cash crop, featured on the White House Thanksgiving table from the 1920s to the 1940s due to its excellent quality and tolerance for Utah's conditions.