Cilantro, or coriander, is a popular herb used in cooking. The fresh leaves have been used for hundreds of years to add a slight citrus hint to your recipes. It is very closely related to parsley, and is actually called “Chinese parsley.” The herb is used in many Asian foods, and often in Mexican dishes, especially salsa and pico de gayo.
Many gardeners will tell you that it’s difficult to grow cilantro indoors, but I truly believe that it is not nearly as difficult as believed. With most indoor herbs, there are certain guidelines to follow. If these steps are followed, growing cilantro in your home can be a breeze.
Step By Step:
- First thing is first, begin with seeds or adolescent plants–cilantro does not survive transplantation very well. I recommend starting with plants. Beginning from seed, although not extremely difficult, is harder than beginning with an adolescent plant. No point in making it harder than need be, right?
- Use a porous terracota pot with drainage holes in the bottom. Using a porous pot will allow for better water and air circulation for the plant.
- As with most indoor plants, cilantro enjoys nutrient rich soil. In nature, a plant’s roots can grow and stretch in an effort to find the nutrients it needs. With indoor, potted plants, obviously the amount of space the roots have is limited and you must provide all of the plant’s nutrients. Use a fertile potting soil and mix some sand into the soil. This will enable water to filter through the soil more easily.
- Wait to water you cilantro plant until the soil is dry to the touch. Then, water generously until the water pours out the drainage hole(s) in the bottom of the pot. I suggest setting the pot in your kitchen sink when watering.
- Cilantro needs a good amount of direct sunlight per day, 4-5 hours. If you just don’t have the perfect spot for your plant, fluorescent lights can be used to supplement the sunlight.
- As for fertilizing, as previously stated, it’s important to provide adequate food for your indoor plants. Fish emulsion is a recommended fertilizer for cilantro, however, an all-purpose 20-20-20 liquid fertilizer will work. With most indoor plants, use half the concentration that the directions suggest. Once again, this is because the amount of space the plant has to live in is limited.
- To harvest your cilantro, DON’T TUG! It is a very delicate plant, and pulling too hard can completely uproot it! Snip the stem just about the soil line, rinse, pick the leaves off, and enjoy!
Below is a great lasagna recipe with a twist–citrus-flavored cilantro, rather than plain-old parsley! Until next time, take care and happy gardening!
Mexican Lasagna:
| 10 | uncooked lasagna noodles |
| 1 | pound lean ground beef |
| 1 | medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) |
| 1/4 | cup chopped fresh cilantro |
| 1 | teaspoon ground red chilies |
| 1 | container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese |
| 1 | jar (24 ounces) Old El Paso® salsa (any variety) |
| 1 | cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces) |
| 1. | Heat oven to 375ºF. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. |
| 2. | Cook beef, onion, cilantro and red chilies in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. |
| 3. | Place 5 of the noodles in bottom of ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13×9x2 inches. Layer with 1 1/2 cups of the beef mixture, 1 cup of the ricotta cheese and 1 1/4 cups of the salsa. Repeat with remaining noodles, beef mixture, ricotta cheese and salsa. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. |
| 4. | Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until hot. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. |