Is there anything better than fresh cilantro?

[Richard Steele]

I'm currently living deep in rural Appalachia;
the soil here is 90% limestone, and the mountains
are so steep that we only get 5 hours of "Direct Sunlight" per day...

My tomato and pepper plants are barely 12" tall,
but my cilantro is bushing up like gsngbusters.

And it's the BEST cilantro I've ever had.
We pulled the first batch yesterday, and tested it atop some
"hamburger & bag cheddar" tacos ...
it was much more powerful than any cilantro
I've ever had.

Perhaps it likes limestone soil?

If my organic heirloom Zataar is half as good as my cilatro,
I have some recipes that are just so TASTY, that folks around here
might burn me as a WITCH if they tasted them.

[Warpy]

1. I'm one of the unfortunate people who think it tastes like soap

but I still find it absolutely essential in salsas and a lot of Chinese dishes, especially Chinese barbecue sauces.

Herbs usually do much better than veggies, much closer to their weedy origins. Cilantro does especially well out west, where soils are alkaline.

[Richard Steele]

5. Condolences on that, Warpy. That is indeed unfortunate.

You know, I tried planting cilantro two years in a row
back when I was living in NC, and had very little success.
The seeds never sprouted.

Well, when all else has failed, I read the directions...:silly:

I noticed the package said to plant the seeds BEFORE the last frost
of the year. So I put all my seeds into potting soil in
the tiny "peat pots", and then I stuck them in the freezer for 3 days
before setting them outside.

I think every single seed germinated!:woohoo:
I'm up to my knees in fresh cilantro here.
(LITERALLY, if I stand in the right spot in the garden)

Now, if only I could grow some LIMES...*sigh*

[femmocrat]

20. I grow it but have never used it. I really don't care for the smell.

I just grow it in case I run across a recipe that calls for it. Mine has bolted by now, but I'm going to plant the seeds for a second crop.

[Sentath]

28. Don't plant all those seeds!

While the leaves (cilantro) taste soapy and smell like the caked up underside of a mower going through weeds, the seeds (coriander) have a wonderful citrusy smell and a mild peppery sensation on the tongue. They make the most wonderful sugar cookies and fish dishes.

[Mojorabbit]

21. I've got limes galore

here in Florida, Kaffir, Persian, and Key limes growing outside my door but it is too damn hot for cilantro. It bolts quickly.
I love it too.

[JCMach1]

24. just keep eating it, that sensation will go away

[supernova]

2. I could bathe in the stuff

If BathWorks or The Body Shop ever makes a cilantro toiletries line, I'm so there!

[Richard Steele]

4. Have I mentioned that one of my co-workers makes homemade soaps?

She made a 'coffee' soap for me the other month.
(It doesn't just SMELL like coffee, it has actual
coffee grounds in it for extra scrubbing power.
It's the best stuff for cleaning up after I've been gardening
or working in the shop.)

I'll ask her about making a Cilantro bar or two.

[grasswire]

3. I love it.

Cilantro and lime and a corn tortilla with a little shredded chicken make any day brighter.

[hippywife]

6. I like it but...

like Warpy, I like it used judiciously. A little bit goes a very long way for me.

[The empressof all]

7. I wish I liked it

The SO hates it and I'm not a fan. I always have to remember to tell them to keep it off the top of my Thai and Indian food when I go out. I think though I'm not a fan of real "herby" tastes in general. I really wanted to love chimichurri sauce for example...but too much herby taste ...for me. And, it's just parsley for christ sake. I even have to cut the Pesto by mixing it with a dairy. That's what happens when you grow up with a mom who thinks canned Asparagus is the height of gourmet cuisine. :shrug:

[elleng]

8. Fabulous aroma!

Can just stand around smelling it at grocery store! How's it for you in the garden? Smiling a lot???

[Phentex]

9. Yes!

14 lb of fresh garlic! :9

[lisa58]

10. No....my absolute favorite flavor....

...though I've never had any luck growing it.

[Richard Steele]

12. I never had any luck growing it until this year...this year has just been SPECIAL.

We have horribly thin soil, overlaying 2 miles of limestone,
and have had an incredibly rainy/overcast Spring season...
but apparently, those are GREAT conditions for this cilantro.
It's far and away the BEST cilantro I've ever had.

On a (possibly) related note, we didn't plant any parsley this season,
but some of last years crop self-seeded and is 3 feet high and flowering.

Looks like I need to make a quart or three of my famous
"White onion & parsley blossom " salsa again.

[lisa58]

18. I'll have to tell my husband about your success...

...maybe he can figure out what we're doing wrong.

I love the stuff - I put handfuls of it in salads - you can't have too much of it in my opinion and I would love to grow it along with the basil, parsley and oregano that never give me a problem.

[Vinca]

11. That reminds me - I've got a row baby cilantro plants coming up

and with a bit of open space in the garden I need to transplant some of them.

[elleng]

14. I bought a bunch at the grocery today,

placed it in water, and its fragrance has filled the kitchen!

[Vinca]

15. Make that a row OF baby cilantro plants. My typos drive me nuts.

[Blues Heron]

13. Fresh basil is right up there in my book

But it's a toss up! :)

we have got to get those cilantro seeds in the ground but it's just been one deluge after another here in DC

[elleng]

17. Yes, but

NO TOMATOES worthy of fresh basil around!

[yy4me]

27. You are right about that. I have 6 plants this year. First time in

pots but that isn't the problem. No sun, too much rain. The few tomatoes I have are about the size of a quarter, several show signs of some sort of black(fungus?) on the bottom. I think I'll pick those and let the others have a better shot.

The way it looks, Maybe I'll have a nice salad by the time the frost hits.

[eridani]

16. Fresh basil?

A tossup in my book. I make pesto from both which freezes pretty well.

[me b zola]

19. No!

I love my cilantro, but haven't had luck--yet--in growing it. I'm thinking about creating a cilantro mojito. :9

[beac]

23. A cilantro mojito sounds yummy.

I'm actually drinking a mojito right now, but made with mint and lime basil.


Your talk of a cilantro cocktail reminded me I've had this recipe in my files for awhile but never made:

Cilantro Martini
•heaping handful fresh cilantro
•1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
•juice from 1 lime
•1/2 oz simple syrup
•2 oz citrus vodka
•1/2 oz gin
Fill shaker with crushed ice, cilantro, lime juice, and simple syrup, and muddle well. Add vodka and gin. Shake well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.


All my cilantro has bolted. I need to plant another round ASAP.

[me b zola]

32. Woo-Hoo! Cilantro mojito

Thank you for the recipe, I'll be giving it a try. Sounds super nummy. :9

[TankLV]

22. Yes - Italian Parseley...!!!

I only like cilantro in few dishes - don't like the "taste" - prefer "normal" English or Italian parsely - much better taste...

[yy4me]

25. Fresh Basil. A cut up tomato, little salt, some olive oil, crunchy

crust Italian or French bread. Heaven.

Fresh Cilantro for me, not so much.

[elleng]

26. Bravo re; your basil 'recipe.'

Bravo also for cilantro, tho!!!

[NashVegas]

29. Fresh Mint

In the mojito I just finished.

[The empressof all]

30. Jeeze....Ya got one for me

These crazy Astroturfers are about to drive me to drink.

[NashVegas]

31. Of Course