| Planted itself! And kept producing. Who wouldn’t love that? |
Yes, there are cilantro haters, in a biiiiig way. And there are cilantro lovers. Put me proudly in Group 2. I got that lovin’ feeling for cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) – not only in my food, but in my garden.
Because this pungent annual herb in the carrot family, so tasty in dishes from curry to guacamole, is one of the most eager of self-seeders. This year, it seeded itself in the leaf debris sitting on top of my asphalt driveway at the base of my veggie trough. And, though usually you need to sow a batch every couple of weeks for a constant supply, it gave me cilantro leaves all summer. That’s the very definition of determined and undemanding.
Plus, it made seeds for next year, too. It’s a green gift for lazy gardeners, and I appreciate every bite.
2 comments
I'm firmly in Group 2 as well – I just harvested over 1.5 lbs from a late summer sowing, most of which was frozen for use over the winter (chopped up, stems and all, and thrown into a zip lock bag, you are hard pressed to tell if it's fresh or frozen when you use it in cooking & dips). What surprised me, though, is that the patch is still going even though we've had 2 freezes. I'm hoping to get another good picking before the weather gets too cold.
Margaret, good for you! And you've put me and my pipsqueak patch to shame. But as my family is less of a lover than I am, I guess mine did me well enough over the summer, with very little trouble. That's the great thing about this easy-going, easy-growing herb.