Coriander & Dill: Summer Herb Inspiration

The Arrival of Summer and Herb Changes

It is happening! Summer and the heat is nearly here. My trigger temperature is very close, which is consistently above 70⁰. There are more forecasts of lows in the high 60s to low 70s, but it hasn’t consistently maintained above 70⁰ yet, but soon.

Now my cilantro has gone to seed and turned into coriander.

From Cilantro to Coriander

There was a time when I did not really like the taste of cilantro (the foliage stage of this plant), it had a soapy taste to me (do you love it or does it taste soapy to you?). Then I started cooking it and adding it to various salads and recipes. That's when my opinion changed!

I knew the seeds were coriander, a spice I have not taken the time to learn how to use, so I use them to make new cilantro plants.

The coriander pod holds several seeds inside. These pods can be sown as is or broken to expose the seeds. The whole pod takes a little longer the germinate than the individual seeds, but not enough for me to worry about, so I don't bother.

Exploring Coriander as a Spice

I’ve never used coriander for cooking, but I have tasted the seeds and found them to have a slightly sweet, citrusy taste. I went to YouTube to look into ways to cook with coriander and found some good information. If this is something you are interested in, my favorite was Jon Kung’s Using Up: Coriander (seeds). He talks about how to prepare the seeds and store along with using the spice. I will try some of his suggestions.

Dill in Bloom

My dill is also flowering!

Like cilantro, you can not only use the foliage, but you can eat flowers and seeds. I have used dill over the years for pickling and cooking with fish, but again now that we have internet, I thought I would search for more information. The first one on YouTube was informative (see link below), I thought it was a good one to past along.

5 Things About Dill and Its Unique Uses

I also found the site Cooking with Dill interesting and thought I might share it with those who cook and like trying new recipes like I do.

Creative Ways to Use Dill

I eat salmon a lot so I will have to try his recipe for that. The cucumber and mango salsa, as well, also using dill. I am mostly partial to beer, but he shares a recipe using dill to make a drink, looks like something I need to try. Perfect for summertime!

Most people tend to use foliage more than flowers and seeds. Maybe this will inspire you to consider using all of all the plant parts!

Using Edible Flowers

When using the edible flowers like coriander and dill, harvest early as you need them, before the seeds set. I love using chive flowers, which give a touch of chive flavor to dishes, but if not harvested soon enough you will be crunching into seeds. The same with other herb flowers. Chances are you are not going to use all the flowers. You might want to leave some to reproduce, so you don’t have to buy your seeds.

You only have to sprinkle a few flowers over your food like salads, soup and drinks. Check out our old social post for a gin tonic variation using coriander flower!

Saving and Resowing Seeds

Resow the seeds in places you would want them or let them drop where they will and volunteer. I consider volunteer herbs a pleasant surprise that always put a smile on my face.

Until next time!