We love cilantro (aka coriander) and are excited to share this fragrant herb with you. Whether you’re growing it for flavour, health, or seed-saving, cilantro is a rewarding crop to have in your garden.
Fun Cilantro Facts:
- Cilantro and coriander come from the same plant: the leafy part is called cilantro, and the seeds are called coriander.
- Cilantro has been used for over 5,000 years – even the ancient Egyptians were fans!
- It’s packed with antioxidants and may help lower blood sugar levels.
- Some cultures consider cilantro to have aphrodisiac properties.
- Cilantro is best used fresh, as it quickly loses flavour when dried.
- There’s more to cilantro than just the leaves – its stems are super flavourful and great in soups and sauces!
- You can freeze cilantro by blending it with a little oil or water and freezing it in ice cube trays for later use.
- When cilantro goes to seed, those seeds become your next spice rack staple: coriander.
Growing Tips:
- Cilantro is a cool-season crop, best planted in early spring or fall.
- Sow seeds ¼ inch deep across a square foot. Once seedlings sprout, thin to about 16 evenly spaced plants to improve airflow and growth.
- For a continuous harvest, succession plant every 2–3 weeks.
- Keep the soil consistently moist, especially in hot or dry conditions.
- Harvest outer leaves first. This encourages the plant to keep producing more foliage.
- To collect coriander seeds, let some plants bolt and flower. Harvest seeds once they turn brown and dry.
- Cilantro can bolt quickly in the heat. To delay bolting, you can try to provide partial shade and harvest regularly.
- Store fresh cilantro in a glass of water in the fridge, with a plastic bag loosely over the top. Change the water every few days.
Recipes
Our gardeners shared with us one of their favourite cilantro stem dishes – Rasam. It is a great way to use cilantro that has started to bolt (make flowers and seeds). Another great cilantro recipe for the hot summer months is this Cilantro Lime Confetti Salad in which you can also use some other produce from your garden! Let us know which other recipes you’ve made with cilantro from your garden!
This post is part of the HH “Feature Crop of the Month” series, highlighting produce that can be grown and enjoyed locally.
HAPPY PLANTING!