# Canned vegetable /fruit omissions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133 "2011-03-10T04:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/1 "2011-03-10T04:23:50Z")
I was buying groceries recently, and amongst the canned artichokes and peas, and green beans, I noticed there were no cans of celery. Hmm, why is celery verboten from being canned? Chun King puts a few chunks in their chow mein vegetables, so I know technologically, it is possible. Also, I question there would be no demand for it, after all, had there been a can there, I would have bought it. So, where is the canned celery? Also, I sometimes will boil raisins and serve them as a vegetable. (usually when I am PO’d with a housemate, but I do love to eat them that way) I note in canned fruit cocktail, there are always some grapes lurking in the can, so again, the technology exists to safely can grapes and therefore, raisins. And again, I do not see them in the store. what’s up with that? And what other glaring omissions should we be noting in the stores? America needs to know! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/2 "2011-03-10T04:30:12Z")
Moving to Cafe Society from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/3 "2011-03-10T04:31:21Z")
Canned celery would be soggy and limp. It would defeat the purpose of celery. I’ve never heard of raisins in fruit cocktail before–doesn’t sound good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/4 "2011-03-10T04:44:21Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Canned celery would be soggy and limp. It would defeat the purpose of celery. I’ve never heard of raisins in fruit cocktail before–doesn’t sound good to me. Raisins are dried out grapes. Grapes exist nicely in canned fruit cocktail, so it seems, it would be possible to can raisins. As for canned celery being limp, if used for a cooked dish, it would be unnoticeable. I think for a roast or to stir into mashed taters, it would be fine to use the canned celery. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/5 "2011-03-10T05:19:46Z")
If there was a market for canned celery, you would see it on the shelves. Celery has a long shelf life, and people tend to associate it with crispness, which you wouldn’t get from a can. I’ve seen pieces of celery in frozen foods. The USDA does have [standards for canned celery](http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3010036), so I assumed there was some, but a quick search only revealed canned celery hearts, which probably don’t match the average US shoppers expectations for celery. The hearts should be the dense inner stalks, probably trimmed close to the root. I imagine after canning they are soggy, but maybe dense enough not to be mushy, and ought to have a good flavor to add to salads or seaons dishes with. I usually just pick up a whole head of celery every once in a while when shopping. It lasts a long time, and I’m not that big a fan that I couldn’t do without for the dishes I make. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/6 "2011-03-10T05:23:41Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > Raisins are dried out grapes. > > Grapes exist nicely in canned fruit cocktail, so it seems, it would be possible to can raisins. > As for canned celery being limp, if used for a cooked dish, it would be unnoticeable. > > I think for a roast or to stir into mashed taters, it would be fine to use the canned celery. I know what raisins are… ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/7 "2011-03-10T09:30:38Z")
Raisins are already preserved, so they don’t really need to be canned. Also, canning involves putting something in liquid, sealing it, then heating it. The raisins would plump up, and not be what most people expect. You also couldn’t eat them with your fingers. Canned celery would be soft. If you added it to a raw roast, then cooked it for hours, the celery would fall completely apart. We would have canned celery if people thought of it as a side dish. I suspect that’s the main use for canned vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/8 "2011-03-10T11:00:08Z")
How about canned lettuce? Salad in a can! Talk about your limp veggies… mmm ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/9 "2011-03-10T12:49:17Z")
The point of cooking celery with food is for the flavor. The limp celery is the price you pay for that flavor. If it’s already cooked, it has already given up its essence. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/10 "2011-03-10T13:47:03Z")
US Guvmint standards for celery, LOL, sorry, that just strikes me so funny! I’ve encountered apple pie filling in a can, but has anyone seen just apples in a can? Regarding lettuce, it is similar to spinach which is canned, but it doesn’t seem to be. I have encountered canned pearl onions (when I was a kid, don’t know if there are still around) but I don’t recall seeing any larger onions in a can. How about canned cooked rice? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/11 "2011-03-10T16:09:26Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > I’ve encountered apple pie filling in a can, but has anyone seen just apples in a can? [Canned Apples](http://www.foodservicedirect.com/index.cfm/S/15/CLID/971/N/98741/Lucky-Leaf-Apples.htm) Why no canned bananas? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/12 "2011-03-10T16:19:40Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > I have encountered canned pearl onions (when I was a kid, don’t know if there are still around) but I don’t recall seeing any larger onions in a can. > > How about canned cooked rice? Pearl onions are still around, not really in cans, but in jars and you tend to find them in the bloody mary area of the super market. As for larger onions, well, I’m not sure that would really be feasible. Cooked rice is out there was well. Again, not in cans, but in a container more along the lines of pudding. I’ve had it, it’s awful. I keep some on hand, because it’s just barely okay enough that if I want rice and don’t feel like making it, this’ll do. The flavor is fine (for white minute rice) the problem is that it doesn’t seem cooked all the way. It’s like eating rice that still needs another two minutes. [http://www.minuterice.com/en-us/products/categories/29/ReadytoServeRice.aspx](http://www.minuterice.com/en-us/products/categories/29/ReadytoServeRice.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/13 "2011-03-10T16:36:50Z")
My mother home-cans larger onions. She uses these huge freaking glass jars to do them in, and they’re all soft and smoshy like the pearl onions are. She uses them in soup, and often does a mix of whole onions and whole skinned tomatoes. They’re good, but no idea how she does it. I would totally NOT eat canned celery. If I want non-fresh celery taste, then I’m off to the cream of celery soup, or the celery seed spice. Mooshy celery just really doesn’t seem appetizing. And wouldn’t canned raisins be essentially canned re-hydrated grapes? Which sort of defeats the purpose of raisins anyway. I will say I haven’t seen any canned grapes by themselves… they end up in cocktail mixes, but I’ve never noticed just grapes (I could totally have missed them, I"m not always the most observant person.) ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-vegetable-fruit-omissions/574133/14 "2011-03-10T21:58:35Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > Grapes exist nicely in canned fruit cocktail, so it seems, it would be possible to can raisins. I suppose that depends on your definition of “nicely.” I’ve always found the grapes in canned fruit cocktail to be mushy, mealy, and thoroughly unappealing.