Fenton Friday: Cilantro Trials

Cilanto 'Moroccan' at left and 'Slow Bolt' on the right.

Guest post by Cavit Ireland

This season, we learned about a tale of two cilantros. One, a traditional cilantro–one we noted as the “regular” kind, and a variety of 'Moroccan' cilantro. We grew them side-by-side and under the same conditions, the regular cilantro’s growth responded quite differently to that of the 'Moroccan' variety. The experiment was a fascinating comparison of two kinds of the same plant.

The 'Moroccan' cilantro sprouted quickly and confidently. Within a week the seedlings germinating, the plants stood a few inches above the soil, while the regular cilantro seeds lay dormant. Soon enough, the 'Moroccan' patch was densely covered with a tiny blanket of green foliage. The germination rate was high, leaving very few bare spots between the seedlings. They grew in aggressively and filled in as leafy bunches that looked like they were almost ready to harvest before the regular cilantro made much progress at all. 

When it finally emerged, the regular cilantro grew in more scattered bunches, slowly making space for itself. The thin row faced also more weeds than the 'Moroccan' cilantro. The leaves were slightly thinner and bunches grew less dense. It seemed to grow with restraint like a slow unfolding, unlike the 'Moroccan' cilantro’s burst of life. 

Such characteristics carried over from the garden into the kitchen. I put both to the ultimate test: Taco Tuesday. Deeply fragrant with powerful flavor, the 'Moroccan' cilantro cut through the other foods and came out strong. While the regular cilantro had a similar scent to its counterpart, it brought a gentler taste to the table. It was a subtle boost, blending with the dish quite nicely.

Growing these varieties of cilantro next to each other showed me how the same herb can behave differently. The 'Moroccan' cilantro was bold and eager, while the regular cilantro took its time and refined its taste. It also goes to show that small differences can completely transform a meal.

What are you growing in your edible garden this week?

About the Author: Cavit Ireland is an intern this fall semester with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the University of Maryland studying journalism and hosts Sonic Fruit, a weekly music program on WMUC 90.5.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 14th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Fenton Friday: Cilantro Turns Into Coriander

The Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant we planted last week are settling in and starting to put on some growth.

I continued to harvest a small bucket full of Blackberries every other day and made a cobbler, a crisp, and sauce with them all -- plus gave a few quarts away to family and friends. In my haste to beat the birds and other berry-loving critters, I realized I am picking them a few days early as they are fully black and shiny, but slightly tart still. They need to mellow to deep black and a matte/dull finish to be really sweet and almost over-ripe. The tart ones are still great for these recipes - though not the best for snacking on out of hand. 

The pollinator/herb garden area is recovering remarkably from the bus crash a few weeks ago. I'm really surprised that the Calendula is blooming so well in this heat and I see several Borage seedlings popping up in the spot where the mother plants had been run over. 

I cut some Dahlia flowers and watered the Zinnia seedlings. I still need to plant several cutting-garden seed packs I have, but might wait out the current heat wave.

The pot of Cilantro had bolted and the seeds are nearly dry on their stems (see pic above), so I cut those off to collect for Coriander use in the kitchen and to plant a few this fall.

What are you growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 13th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Cilantro Plant Profile

Cilantro Plant Profile

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is an herb that is used in cooking as a flavoring and spice. Cilantro is a pretty plant with lace-like foliage that blends well with ornamental plants in a container or grown in the ground. It is in the same family as dill, parsley, carrots, and celery.

It grows best in full sun and well-draining soils. Amend your soil with compost and plant it from seed directly into the ground. It is usually quick to germinate and you can start harvesting it in a matter of weeks.

Harvest it by cutting off some leaves with kitchen scissors and using them fresh or drying or freezing them in an ice cube with olive oil. Cutting the leaves regularly keeps the plant healthy and encourages more leaf production.

Cilantro is loved by several garden pests so you may need to put a cover cloth over it to keep them out.

Cilantro grows best in the cool-seasons of spring and fall in our region. When the weather heats up, the plants bolt – that is, they set flower and form seeds. That is a good thing though as you can collect these edible seeds (also known as coriander) for planting next season and also use them in the kitchen as a spice.

Cilantro: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Cassie Peo

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Fenton Friday: Kale Sprouting

Kale seedlings

We had another very dry week here. Which meant watering the newly planted seedlings every day. It was a relief to see that the Kale seedlings sprouted and so have some carrot seeds.

Today, I added a row of Cilantro seeds. It is not the easiest thing to grow here - every bug and critter likes to chew on it - and the hot weather can make it bitter, but I figured why not give it a go as I have the space and plenty of extra seeds.

The tomato plants are still producing and the marigolds are blooming their heads off. I have one - just one - red okra  and I think I should be digging out my sweet potato soon if I want to have time to cure it.

Carrot seedlings

 
How is your edible garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Fenton Friday: Cilantro Stand-off

By Kelly Zheng

The smell of cilantro (corainder) has always intrigued me. It smells so pleasant and adds such flavor to dishes, especially Mexican food. I was happy I was able to grow my own this semester. I grew two different types: 'Long Standing' and 'Slow-bolt'. I planted the 'Slow-bolt' first and then the 'Long Standing' a few weeks later because of the different seed packet instructions. Whether the brand or the timing played a role or not, the 'Slow-bolt' grew more than the 'Long Standing'. I had to re-seed both of them once as well.

After re-seeding, weeding, and watering, I saw 'Slow-bolt' cilantro emerge within weeks. I was able to harvest some last week and used them in chicken tacos. It felt surreal that I grew an herb, as it tasted like store-bought (#beginnergardener). The 'Long Standing' was just making progress then, and fortunately, I was able to harvest some also yesterday. Even though the 'Slow-bolt' was taller with larger leaves, the 'Long Standing' was starting to catch up. I also harvested more of the 'Slow-bolt' to compare the two.

Both 'Slow-bolt' and 'Long Standing' cilantro leaves looked identical. When I tried them by themselves, they tasted basically the same, too. They also smelled the same. I was hoping for an actual difference, whatever that might have been, but I was also happy they tasted the same. This meant I did not have to favor one over the other. I mixed and chopped both of them together and added them to another round of chicken tacos! And they added great flavor as expected.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

About the Author: Kelly Zheng is a junior multiplatform journalism major, with a minor in technology entrepreneurship, at the University of Maryland, College Park. This spring semester, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.