Valley Bounty: Cilantro

Cilantro is easy to grow but quick to go to seed, requiring repeat plantings for constant harvest. If you are a cilantro lover, it’s an essential ingredient in the quick, fresh homemade salsas that can be made from a wide variety of seasonal ingredients in August—tomatoes, peppers, peaches, and leftover corn or grilled summer squash and eggplant can all be chopped or blended, topped with cilantro, and scooped up with a chip or quesadilla. Find preserving tips and recipes on the Valley Bounty page.

Valley Bounty is written by Margaret Christie

Find local cilantro at farmstands and farmers’ markets.

Recipes:

 Here’s Red Fire Farm’s Ground Cherry and Cherry Tomato Salsa recipe if you want a starting place. Feel free to substitute more tomatoes, tomatilloes, or peaches for some or all of the ground cherries.

And here’s a recipe for a fruity salsa you can can. I’ve made this one from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, and it’s good.

Preserving:

I like to preserve cilantro by mixing it with olive oil in a blender or food processor and freezing it in little blobs on waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, I put the blobs in a plastic bag in the freezer, and add them as needed to beans, quesadillas, and soups.