Everyone who has grown cilantro knows how fast it goes to seed. Frustrating. That fast bolt does have its rewards, though: Free coriander. But only if you are willing to do some work. I am willing, as I don't consider it a chore. For me, it is a mediation.
They have pretty flowers, no denying that.I harvest the whole plant once the majority of seeds have dried and turned brown.
I use a large bag, cover the plant and then cut off the stalks. Hanging the bag for a week or two helps the plant fully dry and makes the seeds easier to remove. (forgot to take a picture of that!)
Here are the stalks after they have dried out and I have removed the seeds.
I shake and rub the stalks through the bag first so many will fall to the bottom of the bag. The rest I pick off roughly by hand; all go into a large wide bowl.
Here's where the mediation comes in. As you can see, there is a lot of "chaff" with my seeds. This all needs to be separated out. I park myself on the edge of the deck with my legs sticking out onto the lawn and I do this:
Everything goes into a fine mesh colander over a bowl. You can see the fine twigs and stems that have already fallen through the colander below in the bowl.
Then I "thresh" it by rubbing my hand vigorously in the colander to break up the dry stems and leaves into smaller pieces so they fall through.
This takes a good while and it is here that I have learned to just be in the moment, not rush and not get impatient. I think about women in third world countries who do something like this every day just to feed their families. I look at the flowers in my garden. I think about how lucky I am. Towards the end, I am picking out small stems and leaves by hand. I am serene.
And the result is this:
I let it sit in the bowl for a week or so to let the last of the moisture escape, if there is any, and then I bottle it up and it goes in my spice drawer.
I will have more to harvest soon. If you would like to practice this meditation, I am willing to bag and cut plants for you--but you have to sit over your own colander to get the serenity. And the free coriander. Let me know.
