MY CILANTRO IN THE HERB GARDEN IS BEGINNING TO BOLT AND FOR SOME STRANGE REASON I CAN'T GET INSPIRED TO USE IT....COULD USE A LITTLE HELP HERE.
Here's a thread from this forum of just a few weeks ago:
Lots of great cilantro recipes/ideas.
Here is a link that might be useful: Cilantro inspiration
Get some more seed and plant only a few seeds every week all spring/summer, then you'll have a constant supply. Let what is bolting go to seed. The flowers will give food to a number of tiny bees and wasps that are good for the environment. Then you can use the newly grown seeds as Coriander in cooking, or just let some fall to replant themselves in your garden.
Where do you live? In the hot south, cilantro will bolt (go to seed) and then die back. Here in south Texas, we grow cilantro Coriandrum sativum as a cool-weather herb. By the end of May, all of mine has bolted and died. Like westelle mentions above, let it go to seed, and it will come back as soon as the weather cools down a little.
And the seeds are the spice coriander.
Website http://whatscookingamerica.net/cilantro.htm states the following about it:
Cilantro or coriander not only has two common names, but two entirely different identities and uses. Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, describes the first or vegetative stage of the plant's life cycle. After the plant flowers and develops seeds, it is referred to as coriander.
So don't be afraid to eat it even if it is going to seed. It still takes great! Or just let it go to seed and you will have a bunch of new ones coming up.
Thanks y'all. I did make Barefoot Contessa's black bean and corn salsa yesterday. It was good! I just keep getting distracted for some reason....may be too many irons in the fire.
I have been pinching off the fluffy parts that are trying to go to seed. Is this a futile attempt? I thought if pinched back, the cilantro will continue to grow leafy.
I think it does continue to grow to a point but it seems after it once starts to bolt it accelerates. We've been having yard work done and I've been making strawberry preserves and just can't seem to get in the swing of things for some reason.