Growing and Cooking with Cilantro

Learn some helpful tips and ideas about growing and cooking with cilantro including some favorite recipes to try.

People say that when it comes to cilantro you either love it or hate it. I love it but my husband does not, so I use it as a condiment or topping on the side. Sometimes I'll substitute flat leaf parsley in a recipe that calls for cilantro so I can share it with my better half.

Growing Cilantro

Cilantro is a cool season crop. This herb is best grown in the spring or early fall. However, if you must grow cilantro plants during the hotter months, place them somewhere where they will get some afternoon shade from the sun. 

Often cilantro is sown a few times as it grows fast, flowers, and goes to seed. Most people use the cilantro leaves in cooking so you don't want it to flower so quickly. There are some varieties of cilantro that claim to grow slowly. Typically they are labeled "slow-bolt". They are a good choice if you can find them.

Once your cilantro starts to flower, you will notice that it no longer looks the same--and it won’t taste good either. However, the plant flowers in umbels just like dill and parsley. These types of flowers are loved by beneficial insects making them an added plus in the garden even after they bolt.

If you want to, you can let the cilantro plants go to seed and harvest the seeds which are called “coriander.” Grind up the round seed and use them as a spice. This spice is often used in many Asian and Latin dishes. It has a nice sweet flavor. I love to use it whole as a pickling seed and ground in my chili.

Harvesting Cilantro

Harvest your cilantro by cutting ¾ of the stems leaving ¼ to encourage new growth. Cutting often may help the plant from bolting (starting to flower quickly) and going to seed.

Preserving Cilantro

Cilantro does not dry well. The best way to preserve it is to freeze it. Chop it up and place it into ice cube trays with a little olive oil or water. Once frozen you can pop out the cubes and place them in a plastic bag and then put them back into the freezer. This way you can easily grab one or two when you need them.

Cooking with Cilantro

Cilantro is very floral, which is a quality I love, but some say it tastes like soap. I guess I can see that, but when cooking with cilantro you also get that unique floral scent which adds a depth of flavor I appreciate.  

Use it as an add-in to top your chili, tacos, eggs, soups, and even salads.  

Cilantro pairs well with lime juice and makes a great vinaigrette, and is obviously wonderful in fresh salsa and guacamole.

Use the leftovers from your tacos or fajita dinner to make quesadillas for lunch. Then add a little fresh cilantro to spruce up the flavor.