Do you grow cilantro? Love it or hate it?
We love it, it goes so perfectly with hot peppers and tomatoes to make the best salsas! We find that salsa just isn't as good without the punch of that amazing cilantro flavor. Even many of those who hate cilantro think salsa with cilantro is delicious! Something is magical about how the flavors combine with tomatoes, hot peppers, garlic, lime juice, onion and cilantro... fresh homemade salsa is definitely one of our favorite foods!
Try some Cilantro in our favorite salsa recipes »
Cilantro compliments the fresh tomato-flavor of salsa made with homegrown tomatoes and hot peppers. It is best added fresh (dried cilantro herbs loose their amazing fresh flavor, so make sure to always use fresh cilantro in salsas for the best flavor!) We also add cilantro in as the last step – especially if cooking salsa, we add it after the salsa has cooled to retain the flavor and color.
Yes, cilantro bolts easily, but we love that it does as the pollinators love it and then it produces tons of seeds (also known as coriander) to use in cooking and sowing so that we can have a perpetual harvest! The flowers smell great, too, and are quite pretty in pots.
We now carry Cilantro seeds along with all our seeds for peppers of the world!
Happy growing and eating!
In addition to looking beautiful in the garden, and making salsas great, Cilantro is super healthy for you, too! It is rich in many vitamins and antioxidants including terpinene, quercetin, and tocopherol, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A, iron, beta carotene, and vitamin C. Research has shown that cilantro helps to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and balances blood sugar. Some studies have shown that cilantro promotes healthier bones, skin and eye health. We'll take it!
A few last Cilantro facts:
In North America, cilantro refers to the leaves and stalks of the plant, while the dried seeds of the plant are what we call coriander. The word “cilantro” came from the Spanish name for coriander leaves. and Around the world, many people call the entire plant Coriander. Whatever you call it, make sure to include it in your garden, you won't regret it! And, you can never have too much cilantro! If you do, try making a cilantro pesto/chutney with cilantro, garlic, a hot pepper such as a jalapeño or serrano pepper, lime juice and salt and pepper. It's amazing!