Cilantro was a new herb for us to grow in our garden this year. I like to use cilantro in my
salsa recipes so I thought it might be handy to have some growing and ready to use for when my tomatoes turn red. I can safely say that the cilantro really took off and was easy to grow for us.
I wanted to dry some and keep it to use later in the year for recipes. I figured by drying some cilantro, I easily saved myself the $5 it would cost to go buy cilantro in the spice isle of my local grocery store. So here is how I did it.
After cutting some sprigs of Cilantro from the garden I tied the ends together with a string, and was sure to leave some length to the end of the string.
I then placed the tied Cilantro in a paper bag. (The bag is to keep dust off the cilantro as it dries.)
I poked holes in the end of the bag and pulled the string on through. Then I tied the ends of the string together. Then you can hang the bag up in a dry place for 10-14 days.
After the Cilantro has dried I take it out of the bag and chopped it up finely with a knife.
Lastly, I placed them in a little glass jar, labeled it and placed it in my spice rack. The next time I use a recipe that calls for cilantro I will be all set.
10 comments:
I love cilantro. I have found that it can be frozen quite successfully. I wash it and pat it dry, then spread it out flat in a freezer bag. It works great for cooking with and retains that fresh cilantro smell when added to the soup pot.
I love it too, it's an herb I can grow very easily!
I grow cilantro year round and use it often. I keep it fresh in the fridge but have never dried it. I'll try this! I also like the idea of freezing it!
I tried drying cilantro and other herbs last year and they got all dusty. Ugh... Great idea to use the bag!
I may try again this year!
Take care,
Dee
I really enjoy cilantro also! I tried to dry some extra I had from the last batch I bought. It all turned black and mushy on me. I tied a few small bunches together and tied the strings on a hanger. I then put a plastic bag over the hanger to catch any dried sprigs. I will have to try your method.
Love love love cilantro! I have never dried it though - just try to keep a pot of fresh growing. Not that that always works! ;)
My family thinks it isn't Mexican cooking without cilantro--I have it growing all over this year! And I bring in a pot of it for winter harvesting (because I'm too lazy to dry and store it).
I have not tried drying herbs yet, but this sounds really easy. Thank you for the tutorial.
~Lynn
For a moment, I thought your title was a play on words- "it's so hot here, our cilantro is drying..." But no- it's really about drying the herb. ;-) Nice tutorial- thanks for hookin' up!
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage
I love cilantro, especially, fresh. Drying it usually takes the nice zing away from it so I chop mine, and place it in ice cube trays with water, freeze, and place in plastic bags for the winter (minnesota). It tastes just like fresh cilantro and I can use it all year long, throw a couple of cubes in sauce, etc!! Delicious!!
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