Cilantro

Cilantro is a culinary herb that grows throughout the warmer months on the farm, and will be in your share from the summer until the first frosts of the fall.

Cooking Tips

Most of us associate cilantro with Mexican and Southwestern foods, such as salsa, guacamole, and tacos, but cilantro is delicious in many Caribbean, east Asian and Indian recipes as well. Coriander is the ground seeds of the cilantro plants used for curry and other seasonings. Some recipes may call for coriander leaves, which are the same as cilantro, but in Australia and various other countries the herb and the seed both are referred to by the same name. Cilantro can also be delicious when used in a pesto instead of basil, in a salad dressing or sauce, or to season fish. When it arrives along with tomatoes and peppers, though, you will certainly want to save some cilantro for making salsa.

Storage Tips

Cilantro is best stored with its stems placed in a small glass of water, as you would a tiny bouquet of flowers. It should be used as soon as possible, but can be frozen with some success.

Nutrition

Cilantro was believed by the ancient Chinese to be the key to immortality. A more modern and perhaps less audacious medicinal use is for relaxation and stress relief. It also contains vitamins A, C E, K, and dietary fiber.

History

Native to a wide area across a large area of the Near East and Europe, Cilantro has been used by numerous cultures over thousands of years as a medicinal and culinary herb. Traditionally it has been relatively obscure in the United States, but that has changed thanks to its introduction to us through the popularity of Mexican food.