Celery Apple Salad

It always perplexed me why carrots are sold in supermarkets with their bushy green leaves and all we get for celery are the stalks. Where are the leaves? I've never found anything decent to do with the carrot leaves, while the celery leaves are the best part of that plant! Fortunately, the celery we get in our farm-share and from the farmers' markets comes with leaves and I've been putting them to good use.

This is not the celery you are used to from the supermarket. You know, the boring spinster sister of the vegetable family that no one ever wants to show off in a dish. The locally grown celery we get this time of year has thin, bright green, and extremely crunchy stalks. They are a bit tough to eat raw when diced, but perfect when sliced paper thin. I slice the leaves as thinly as possible for use in salads and as a garnish on soups, fish, etc.

Here is a celery apple salad that is bright, cool, and crisp as a breezy fall day.

Apple Celery Salad

Serves 4

Note: if using supermarket celery, 1-2 stalks might be all you need to yield 1 cup of slices.

5-6 small celery stalks, sliced diagonally paper thin (about 1 cup sliced)
1 cup lightly packed celery leaves, cut into chiffonade (very thin strips)
1 apple, cut into julienne (I prefer to use Honeycrisp, but you can use any good eating apple that has a good balance between sweetness and acidity)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tsp lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, taste and correct seasoning. You might want to add more lime juice or salt. If the apples are too tart, a teaspoon of honey might be a good touch.