The magic of Cilantro

When in response to a wonderful article Chris C. had written about burritos, I saw a comment stating that someone had not experienced cilantro, I felt I had to respond. See his article here.

Not being a burritoseur myself, I still know a thing or two about herbs, and  thought I would impart some of my knowledge on how to grow this herb in particular.

Cilantro is part of the Coriander family, and grows a bit like a carrot.  It is often described as Chinese Parsley.  

As opposed to most windowsill herbs, Cilantro can get pretty tall, on average about 12-14 inches, so it needs a decent sized pot.  The entire plant is edible, yes, even the roots.  You can trim part of a leaf or a whole stalk as needed.   

Cilantro needs to be planted in the spring, in full sun, but any soil condition works pretty well; it is a hardy plant.  You can then plant more about every two weeks to have a continued harvest.  Try to keep the soil moist but well drained, but cilantro is pretty hard to kill.  Cilantro has a strong, pungent aroma, but as it gets larger it tends to be more of a disagreeable smell, start watching at this point for the leaves and flowers to turn brown in order to collect seeds for your next planting.  That's also when you will want to collect from some of your younger plants if you planted in cycles.  

When you store your fresh grown cilantro, you will want to place it moist (NOT WET!) in a plastic bag.  It can be kept this way for about a week. (Like it ever lasts that long!)

If you've ever thought about growing herbs yourself, I highly recommend starting with this one, it is easy to grow, hard to kill, and has a variety of uses.  

It is said to be an aid to the digestive system, a poultice of it has been said to relieve the aches and pains of arthritis, and according to Herbs & Herb Gardening by Jessica Houdret you can mix the seeds with violet as a cure for a hangover.  (Haven't tested that one myself, if you decide to, please let me know!)

The leaf oils are supposed to be antibacterial, and can be used as a fungicide.  A press can be used to collect oils if you wish, but as much as I like growing herbs myself, it's much easier to pick it up at a health food store. The seeds, however, can be used to lower your cholesterol. 

Cilantro/Coriander is also an appetite stimulant, which explains why you are able to put away a giant burrito and still be hungry.  I used it quite successfully to get my young picky eater to eat more, I sprinkled a very subtle amount on the few foods he WOULD eat, and he would usually then try a few other things.  Very effective and safe.  That kept him from gorging on mac and cheese to the exclusion of all else.  If you have any questions about growing herbs, please ask, I haven't grown any since I lived at home, but I always enjoyed it and tried to learn more so that I can enjoy my herb garden again when I buy a home.