Herbs: Cilantro, the experiment

If you've ever attempted to grow cilantro you might understand when I say that it's TRICKY! But I so badly want to grow it... because I'm tired of buying a new bundle every week. I use it so often... why can't I just figure out how to grow it?!

I had given up at one point due to failing on more than one occasion. This time I set my mind to researching the known issues further, asking other herb lovers (and by "herb lovers" I mean, they like to GROW and UTILIZE herbs... not smoke them) and doing an experiment of my own.

I had learned a lot in the meantime ... how difficult can this be?! So, I purchased two cilantro plants and found similar size containers to put them in.


What I learned...
Cilantro does not like heat but it likes a lot of the cool morning sun.
The soil must stay moist and have good drainage.
The plant should be trimmed regularly to promote new growth.
Snails/slugs LOVE cilantro and can eat through a plant within about 24 hours.
Each plant will potentially harvest two or three bundles of clippings before bolting.
Depending on how much cilantro being use, plant more seed every 2-3 weeks to ensure continual availability.
Cilantro grows very fast!
When the plant bolts, you can use the coriander seeds to replant or save them and use them as a spice.


Sample #1
Grow INDOORS next to window that gets that most morning sun but in a room that does not get hot. Keep soil moist and trim regularly. (And since I don't have snails in my home I think this is the example that will work the best.)

Sample #2
Grow OUTDOORS, where it gets morning sun, but is in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Keep soil moist and trim regularly. (Watch daily for snails/slugs.)





Can you guess which sample is which?!




As you can see the sample on the right is not well at all. I had noticed quite a bit of dead sprigs on it and trimmed it back (it's first trimming). And gave it more water. It has not bounced back.

The plant on the left is Sample 2, which is the winner... the OUTDOOR sample is thriving!


Would you like to know more about it's current growing conditions?
The plant gets streaming morning light, but partly shaded direct sun for about an hour in the morning. It sits on a tall ledge, under the over-hang, by my front door. I keep the soil moist, by adding about a cup of water to the soil every other day. A good portion of that water drains out the bottom, but it holds on to what it needs.

I will be trimming a good portion of this back today. Stay tuned for future pictures of how long this planting lasts and what it looks like...



enjoy your time in the kitchen (and the garden)...

Herbs: why they "bolt"

Have you ever had something like this shooting straight up from your herbs? (The above shot is a picture of a bolting sprig on my dill plant.)


I recently discovered this in my italian flat-leaf parsley (below) and started researching what that meant. Afterall, I didn't think parsley had flowers!



What I discovered is that this is called " bolting ". What I understand about bolting is that this is the plant's natural defense mechanism to stay alive. When the growing conditions change (ground temperature rises, the plant is growing in extreme heat conditions, etc) the plant's natural defense is to move on to the next stage of life... so it bolts. Literally! It sends this shoot straight up in the air, producing these interesting looking pods and goes to seed. It's so concerned about the next generation (seed) that it does what it can, while it can, to save itself.

Here's one thing to realize... once it bolts there isn't much you can do about it. The plant's energy is all re-directed to this shoot of the plant that the rest of it loses it's flavor and often times becomes extra "woody" and/or dies off.

We can often times slow down the bolting process by keeping the plant trimmed back (even if we aren't utilizing all of the plant it needs to be trimmed to promote new growth). Routine trimming also keeps the plant fuller looking.

And the second thing to realize? Almost all herbs (and some green vegetables, like lettuce of broccoli) will eventually bolt. That said, be prepared to harvest the items immediately, take advantage of the seed production and start a new pot from seed and/or purchase a new plant.

It's the cycle of life... and for us gardeners it's sad, but it's ok. We'll be ok.


(sniff, sniff)




enjoy your time in the kitchen (and your garden) ...

Bounty of tomatoes...

Today I decided I needed to roast up some of these tomatoes... we simply weren't going to be able to consume all of these before they burst open. It's not my Fresh Bounty ... but I'm still blessed by it! (Thank you, again, Neighbor Bob!)

So, here's what my kitchen activity looked like this afternoon...




First, let's get the introductions out of the way. I'm pleased to introduce you to Tiny the Tomato! She's my new friend. Isn't she adorable?!

I secretly wish I could keep her around forever.

Isn't that how it goes?!

Instead, let's roast her and some of her friends... (I blame my dark sense of humor on being raised in the '80s...)



With a paring knife, I cored each tomato...



Then I cut them into rather large slices...



And diced them into rather large dices...





I layered them, single layer, on a large cookie sheet...



I gently sprinkled some dried italian seasoning and kosher salt... followed by a gentle drizzle of olive oil. I sent them into their glorious future with a smashed clove of garlic.

(Garlic makes everything better, right?!)



And while I'm at it, let's do two batches...



With the oven set at 225F degrees...

About an hour later...



I removed the tomatoes from the cookie sheets and divided them into two freezer bags, 2 cups per bag. Before placing them in the freezer I let them cool down a bit... then found a nice cozy corner of the freezer to securely hold them.


Next week sometime I'll use 2 cups of the best-roasted-tomatoes-my-kitchen-has-ever-seen in a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce... good times!





So, in memorium... let's have one last look at Tiny the Tomato.






enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Update on Lori's seedlings...

About a week and a half ago I started a new mini-pot of seeds... oregano. See?



And here is a growth update on my chives...



And my basil...



A little indirect sunlight, a warm window sill to hang out in and some water... so simple!


Keep watching... I'll post more updates every week or so...



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Update on Lori's seedlings...

It's been a week since the last pictures of the seed pods... see the growth??? It's amazing what a little water and sunshine will do for ya...







I think I'm going to start some oregano too... there should be pictures in about a week of the beginning of that growth. Once again, stay tuned!



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Lori's seedlings...

I've, once again, decided to try my hand at growing my own herbs. But it's the middle of February and it's not warm enough outside to do that. So I've started with seed pods inside the house. Let's start with chives and basil!

This was the growth at about a week after planting the seeds... cute, eh?






Keep watching... I'll post some updates as they continue to grow up strong and healthy!!!


enjoy your time in the kitchen...