How to Prune Cilantro

Thứ bảy - 27/04/2024 01:10

Cilantro plants are easy to grow and harvest. Feel free to trim them whenever you want fresh cilantro, either from a small plant at home or from your garden. While cilantro plants can produce coriander seeds, pruning them regularly will...

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Cilantro plants are easy to grow and harvest. Feel free to trim them whenever you want fresh cilantro, either from a small plant at home or from your garden. While cilantro plants can produce coriander seeds, pruning them regularly will delay this step and maintain your supply of the fresh herb. Carefully pinch or cut stems off of your plants to avoid damaging them. Freeze or dry cilantro to preserve it for future cooking adventures.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Trimming Small Cilantro Plants

1
Start trimming your cilantro plant once it is 6 inches (15 cm) tall. Cilantro should be pruned often to encourage new growth. Older, larger cilantro leaves also tend to be more bitter in flavor, making the herb less desirable if it is left to grow out. When your cilantro plant reaches 6 inches (15 cm), start trimming away stems to use as needed.^{[1] X Research source}
- Add fresh cilantro to salads, soups, salsa, guacamole, and other dishes.
- It will usually take 60-75 days after planting for your cilantro to be this height.

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Use your thumb and forefinger to grasp a stem at its outermost leaves. Trace downwards until your reach a new growth coming in underneath it. Pinch about 0.4 inches (1.0 cm) above the new growth to remove the stem and leaves above it. If you prefer, use scissors to cut the piece instead of pinching it.^{[2] X Research source}
Avoid pulling off stems, which could damage the remaining plant.

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Wrap newly picked cilantro stems or leaves in a clean plastic bag. Store the bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Cilantro will stay fresh and flavorful for up to a week.^{[3] X Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Harvesting Large Amounts of Cilantro

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Cooler months during the springtime and fall are the best to time to pick cilantro from your garden. Cilantro plants will not grow properly in warmer weather as the heat causes them to seed. Harvest cilantro early and often to encourage it to keep growing.^{[4] X Research source}

Once cilantro plants start to flower and produce coriander seeds, they can no longer be harvested. These seeds can be dried and used as coriander in recipes, though.

Generally only the outer leaves of the plant should be removed, leaving the inner leaves to continue to grow

A cilantro plant should produce new foliage appropriate for harvesting approximately every week for the duration of its blooming.

Using sharp scissors or garden shears, cut the largest leafy stems of your cilantro plants just above the ground. Stems of fully grown cilantro plants are generally between 6 inches (15 cm) and 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Do not cut any stems that are smaller than 6 inches (15 cm).^{[5] X Research source}

Step 3 Harvest no more than 1/3 of each plant.

To make sure that cilantro plants retain their strength, trim no more than 1/3 of their mass when you harvest the herb. Losing any more of their structure would weaken the plants and possibly stunt their growth. Assess each plant visually and count the number of large stems growing from them before deciding how many to remove.^{[6] X Research source}

Step 4 Freeze cilantro leaves and stems.

To store large amount of cilantro leaves and stems, wash them and dry them thoroughly. Lay them flat and place them in a thin layer in a resealable freezer bag or airtight freezer safe container. Freeze cilantro and keep it for up to a year.^{[7] X Research source}

To use frozen cilantro, simply break off as much as you need and put the rest back in the freezer.
If you are cooking with cilantro, use it straight from frozen in your recipe.
To use the cilantro as a garnish, let it thaw in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Another way of preserving cilantro is to dry it out. Tie clusters of full cilantro stems together with twist-ties and hang them in a warm, dry room. Leave them there for several days until they are completely dried out.^{[8] X Research source}

Once the stems are dry, you can remove the leaves and crumble them into a small spice jar.
You can also dry out cilantro leaves by placing them on a baking tray and heating them in the oven at the lowest possible temperature for 30 minutes.^{[9] X Research source}