Growing Herbs: Cilantro
I remember my first encounter with cilantro. I was in Boston and I went to an unbelievable taqueria, the kind where they make everything before your eyes out of amazingly fresh ingredients. When they asked if I wanted it on my burrito, I had to taste it first. It was marvelous. Next I made my first cilantro pesto and I was forever hooked.
The cilantro herb often reaches heights of up to 3 feet and has become very popular lately in Tex-Mex cooking. If you take a quick glance at it you might think that it is parsley, but its sweet and musky taste will confirm it’s certainly unlike any parsley I know of. It may surprise you to know that cilantro (the foliage which has brilliant pink blossoms) and coriander (the plant that comes from the seeds) are from the same plant.
You can get your cilantro from your local nursery, but I love to start mine from seeds. Because it’s an annual, you will be starting fresh with new herbs each year. I start mine in pots inside on my kitchen windowsill when there’s still frost on the ground, and it usually takes about 7 to 10 days for the seeds to germinate.
Cilantro plants enjoy moist, rich soil, so it is best to grow them in a raised bed after the weather gets sunny. If you live in a hot climate, make sure you provide some shade for your cilantro. Be warned, too much sun or too much heat can make your cilantro go bitter.
It will take about nine weeks for your cilantro herb to go from seed to its brilliant white, pale pink or lavender blossoms. You can positively wait until the weather gets warmer and then plant your cilantro right in the earth. After you plant your seeds the clear skies and warm weather along with a little rain will turn your seeds into sprouts in just two weeks.
For the strongest flavors, use your fresh cilantro in your summer dinners. Just snip off a few leaves and add the whole thing to your dish or chop it up and add to your tacos or Mexican chicken.
You can also dry your cilantro and use it later for fall, winter and spring dinners. The best way to ensure that the leaves will have a heavy concentration of oils is to lop them off just before the plant blooms. Use a drying rack for the best outcomes. Keep in mind that you will need more of the dried cilantro than you will the fresh because the flavor won’t be as strong.
The very best way to harvest the coriander seed is by hanging it upside down in a paper bag to dry. Once the seeds have dried, you can release them from the pod by rolling them between your hands. Next you’ll want to freeze the seeds for at least 2 days and then keep them in a cool, dark spot.
As one of the curry spices, you can use the crushed coriander seeds as a powder in baking, stews, soups and casseroles.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Herb Garden Plants. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
Growing Herbs : Growing Cilantro
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