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I LOVE cilantro because...


tommy

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I love cilantro because it tastes like brightness. And because it's the perfect herbal compliment to chile peppers. And because even though it IS hell to grow yourself (upon reaching maturity, it goes to immediately and aggressively to seed, so it's useful for like a day), it's widely available and of consistent quality--I love it because I can depend on it.

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What I DON'T love is that its absolute hell to grow yourself.

Actually Jon, it grew in our garden like a weed last summer. Its probably a pain in the ass to grow indoors though.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

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How do you use the roots?

scrub well, use as you would cilantro. Mince finely. It is more intensely "cilantroey." Due to many, many Hmong in our area, most cilantro sold in my neighborhood (at Asian or regular grocery stores) is sold with roots on. $.29/bunch, so why bother to grow it?

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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I love cilantro when chefs don't overdo it when adding it to a dish. I find it has a strong taste and can easily overpower other flavors. Thankfully, this was more of a problem a few years ago - haven't run into it much lately.

johnjohn

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everything about cilantro is wonderful! It goes form SE Asian foods to Indian foods, over the middle east and all the way to Mexico.

Snowangel I am so jealous of the price you get it for!! :angry:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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I love the way cilantro tastes ... fresh and festive. I love it in Salsas (Pico de gallo) and Vietnamese cuisine (and it's also great in those Thai Crab Salad in Endive Leaves that I make). It grows well in my garden, but tends to flower and bolt quickly. So it's best to stagger the planting of seeds, especially to make sure there is plenty of cilantro by the time the garden tomatoes are ripe in the late summer. My hubby does not care for it, but fortunately it's easy for me to add several sprigs separately at the last minute to my plate.

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It grows well in my garden, but tends to flower and bolt quickly.  So it's best to stagger the planting of seeds, especially to make sure there is plenty of cilantro by the time the garden tomatoes are ripe in the late summer.  My hubby does not care for it, but fortunately it's easy for me to add several sprigs separately at the last minute to my plate.

It helps to grow in and amongst other plants. It seems to bolt less rapidly when it is somewhat shaded, so I stick seeds in whereever I need ground cover.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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It grows well in my garden, but tends to flower and bolt quickly.  So it's best to stagger the planting of seeds, especially to make sure there is plenty of cilantro by the time the garden tomatoes are ripe in the late summer. My hubby does not care for it, but fortunately it's easy for me to add several sprigs separately at the last minute to my plate.

It helps to grow in and amongst other plants. It seems to bolt less rapidly when it is somewhat shaded, so I stick seeds in whereever I need ground cover.

snowangle... thanks for the tip, I will try that. :smile:

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I, too, love cilantro and was often annoyed with a friend or two who would shriek... "o-o-o-hhh ! Cilantro !!!" and never eat what it was on/in. I thought , how picky ! Then I found out that there is, in fact, a specific chemical in cilantro that some people are truly repulsed by though it is not actually an allergy that has risk. It's just that, for them, the taste is horrible where, to us, it is wonderful.

All of that just fwiw and to add to the discussion. Now, if only I could master growing it. It really is a pain !

Bob Sherwood

____________

“When the wolf is at the door, one should invite him in and have him for dinner.”

- M.F.K. Fisher

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Now, if only I could master growing it.  It really is a pain !

Maybe I can help you out - where do you live? I sow it both in pots and directly into the ground, in about a week or so (I'm in SE PA) and do successive plantings (like every two weeks) because both bolt and go to seed. It honestly grows like a weed. All I do is keep it watered.

Have you tried getting plants from a local nursery? Or have you tried from seed?

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