What were Celery Vases designed for + 5 uses for a Celery Vase

From time to time you find vintage celery vases, pots or jars, and these pretty little things can seem a bit of a mystery in today's refrigerated world...Why were they designed and how can they be useful today?

Back in the day when people had no fridge in their kitchen, their only option was to store everything in a larder. This would have been a cool cupboard or room just off of the kitchen. Being a stem vegetable, celery can quickly wilt like any picked garden flower. However, by popping it in water in a celery pot or vase the plant can stay crisp and fresh for much longer (just make sure to change the water regularly).

above... a 'spider web' celery vase from Chance Glass and a 70s Celery Pot from Toni Raymond Pottery

The celery vase is also a great way to serve celery, showing this tasty vegetable off to it's best advantage, and making it easy to pass around the table. Using a celery vase at a buffet means it will stay crisp all evening and adds height and interest to what otherwise could be a flat an uninteresting table. Right back to Victorian times when people believed celery helped to cure arthritis, celery vases were a feature of the dinner table.

Did you know that you can also grow celery in a vase? When you have finished a celery be sure to leave the round stalked base, get yourself a celery vase - a clear one would be best for this. Pop the celery into the jar and add about an inch of water. Pop this on a window sill and watch the celery sprout from the centre over the course of a week or so. Once you have a good head of leaves, transplant into soil and away you go with your next celery plant - never buy celery again!

Other uses for celery vases include their being used as a flower vase or a way of storing cutlery and utensils in your kitchen! So here are our 5 uses for a celery vase:

To keep celery fresh when you don't have a fridge
To serve celery
To grow celery from it's base stalk
Use as a vase for flowers
Use to store cutlery and kitchen utensils

Why not take a look at the celery vases yay retro! have for sale at the moment? These include a collectable Robert Godden Chance Glass Celery Vase, as well as Toni Raymond Studio Pottery version.