Cilantro life span?

[Brindle]

I love how this conversation took off and had gone in a few different directions! This is a cool forum.

[Lindsaylew82]

Oh! And then there's these lentils that I make!!!

I cook them (a whole bag) in just enough water to keep them thick, and boil for about 30 minutes with some coriander and cumin, salt, and then dump a whole big (like 4 cups!) recipe of pico de Gallo (tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt, pepper, cilantro!) cook for another 30 minutes.

Freezes well! Makes a ton.

[digitS']

It's fortunate that gardening people eat every day .

Here's what we do with cilantro early in the season -- eggrolls!

Deep fat frying is probably not the best but I may as well confess that we had eggrolls this week. The meat can just be boiled before it goes in the food processor with the eggs, green onions and cilantro, salt & pepper. DW does the spooning and rolling. I'm excellent at turning a block of near-frozen spring roll wrappers 360° while peeling off a single, micro-thin sheet! Can use digitS' on either hand, on either side of the frozen block ...

DW uses a beaten egg to glue the sheet in place after she has loaded it with the filling. We both use the tongs to poke and prod the eggrolls in the cooking oil until they are brown and crispy. Then, they go in a colander to drip on paper towels. The kitchen smells wonderful!

Oh! We don't use the dry wrappers you soak first in water. I don't know how that would work for frying. We have been making eggrolls for years but haven't ventured too far from our simple approach. We spent the afternoon eating eggrolls and have a nice full bag of them in the freezer.

Steve

[applestar]

How the cilantro gets eaten AT THE END OF ITS LIFE is surely an integral part of its LIFESPAN.

[Lindsaylew82]

Maybe you could make soap with it. Or maybe pesticide. Cause THATS WHAT IT TASTES LIKE!

Way puke.

But we can talk about coriander!

[rainbowgardener]

It's a genetic thing/ inherited characteristic

A large chunk of the US population—including the likes of culinary goddess Julia Child—have claimed that it tastes offensive. Kinda like soap, in fact. It spreads further than these shores, too: a recent survey suggested that 21 percent of east Asians, 17 percent of Europeans, and 14 percent of people of African descent all claim to be repulsed by the stuff.

http://gizmodo.com/5942551/genetic-proo ... e-cilantro

There's a particular gene that makes people like you and me extra sensitive to the particular aldehydes in cilantro taste. I mainly grow cilantro because it is useful for beneficial insects, but I do like the coriander seeds.

It's too bad, considering how much people without this gene like cilantro, but all in all, it isn't the worst genetic flaw we could have inherited!

[digitS']

Ya know, it tastes a little like soap to me, too ...

However ..

. Mom taught me to like soap!

Steve

[Lindsaylew82]

Mom taught me to like soap

BAAAHAHAHA!

It's only offensive to me when it's bolting. It gets really soapy! I kin it's likeness to how lettuce gets offensively bitter when it bolts. I like my coffee like I like my man! Hot, strong, blond, and..... A wee bit bitter! I even like intentionally bitter greens! But just like bolting, excessively bitter lettuce, there's no room in my life for the nastiness that is bolting cilantro. Just gross!

I otherwise think it's a toss up love between basil and cilantro. LOVE the stuff!

[pepperhead212]

Basil and Thai basil are two more herbs I HAVE TO HAVE! I even set them up in hydroponics, to have them when it gets cold.

[imafan26]

I guess I don't have that gene, but it does really explain why it is a love hate relationship to people.
When I don't have it around I can think of more things to do with it besides salsa. I just seem to go blank when I have it and later when I need it it is not around.

It does reseed but there is always that gap time when I need it.

I have made thai curry paste with the roots, but it is easier to buy the paste and it lasts a very long time.

Chinese style oxtail soup
Pho
ramen
To finish stir fries and fried noodles
Ban mi sandwiches
Thai salad with lime cilantro dressing
Tofu salad

I can grow it October-April. If I try to grow it now it will last maybe a month and a half before it bolts and that is if I plant it in the shade.