Yamagata Celery

Yamagata Celery is a celery that is slender in shape, has petioles that are not too thick, and matures while maintaining soft fibers.
　It is characterized by crisp and juicy texture with little acridity and bitterness, resulting in sweet and mild flavor.

Skilled producers nominated by the producer's group select superior mother plants in terms of appearance, from which they produce seeds for Yamagata Celery.
　The celery is cultivated in greenhouses twice a year, for spring harvest (harvesting from around early May to early July) and for fall harvest (harvesting from around early October to early December).
　Plants with no damage or plants with minimal damage from diseases, pests, and other factors are selected based on quality criteria for shipment.

The history of Yamagata Celery production began in 1968 when young local producers took on the challenge of growing celery. They learned from experts outside the prefecture to acquire farming techniques, and embarked on growing celery in Yamagata City in 1969.
　The production area of Yamagata celery provides the water required for celery farming in abundance, through the city's network of channels (the Five Barrages of Yamagata ⁽¹⁾) and pumping of ample subsoil water from the Zao Range ⁽²⁾.
　The accumulation of efforts among producers thereafter in establishing the techniques for seed production, temperature control, and fertilization that are optimal for the cold weather conditions resulted in the formation of the leading area of celery production in the Tohoku region which is the northeast part of Honshu, the largest island of Japan.

In the area, producers began shipments of Yamagata Celery to the Sendai market in Miyagi Prefecture in 1972 and to the Tokyo market in 1984, establishing Yamagata Celery as a brand product highly praised by markets and consumers, and have since continued production for over 45 years.
　Shipments totaled 219 tons as of 2016; there are many young successors, and the production volume is growing every year.

1. Five Barrages of Yamagata: Agricultural waterways running throughout Yamagata City in Yamagata Prefecture. They are registered among The Selected 100 Canals of Japan.
2. Zao Range: A mountain range on the prefectural border between Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture.