herbs

[wavyarms]

I just got a cilantro plant at the store, b/c it seems lately that a good many recipes call for a little bit of cilantro. I've had herb plants before, but they all kicked the bucket. Any advice for this one? In particular, how do I cut off leaves when I want to use some? Do I cut off a whole stalk? Or just nip off the leaves? Or cut off the leafy tip of the stalk, but leave the leaves down below? What will insure a healthy bushy long-lived plant? (Whatever I did with my basil last time was apparently the wrong choice.)

Comments

[samtheeagle.livejournal.com]

Each herb is different. With basil, one encourages the plant to grow by clipping flower stalks before they bloom. With cilantro -- which is like parsley in its biochemistry -- the keys are to keep it watered but not too wet (too much moisture exposes the plant to bugs and mold), and make sure it gets enough sun. When ready to use, give the plant a general haircut with a scissors -- not so much that it overtaxes any one part of the plant.

[samtheeagle.livejournal.com]

Also, as you probably know, fresh herbs aren't as potent as dried herbs one buys in a market (or dries one's self). For most recipes that involve actualy cooking (compare guacamole), dried herbs tend to work best.

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

thanks for the advice! Most of these recipes are salad-like things, and in general I always follow the recipe for whether to use dried or fresh herbs. (In pasta sauces, for example, I think fresh herbs work best, even though that does involve cooking.)