How to Harvest and Dry Coriander

comments (3) August 22nd, 2009

Kate Frank, editor

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Getting there, but still not ready for harvesting.

This coriander looks pretty green.

Photo: Kate Geruntho Frank

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Most of us go to great lengths to keep our veggies and herbs from bolting. We shade our lettuces and pick the flowers off our basil plants, and if we’re really ambitious, we practice succession sowing so we can have a steady supply of fresh herbs even in the hot summer months.

For me, the exception to this rule is cilantro. Cilantro is one of those herbs I put in the ground and then mostly ignore until about midsummer, when it has flowered, flopped over, and gone to seed. That’s when I think cilantro is at its best, because who can argue that coriander is pretty much the best spice ever?

I like my coriander in large quantities. I use it in homemade hummus and falafel, in sautés, and sometimes even on plain pasta. It's also pretty delicious in this spiced nuts recipe from FineCooking.com.

Here's how to harvest and dry coriander:

1. Wait until the cilantro plant has bolted and then started to dry and turn brown. The fruits should come away from the plant easily.


Not ready yet--still a bit too green.	Coriander ready for harvesting.

2. Cut the plant at its base, taking care that the fruit doesn't scatter. If the fruit does scatter, your cilantro plant will probably reseed--more free cilantro plants next year.

3. Place the plant in a paper bag and shake the bag so the seeds fall off the plant. If the seeds don't fall off easily, place the bag in a warm, dry area for a few days, then try again.

4. Pick over your coriander to be sure all the stems are removed.

5. Coriander that isn’t fully dried tastes bitter. If your coriander needs further drying, spread the seeds on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature, then turn your oven off. Place the baking sheet in the oven for five minutes. This should remove any excess moisture.

6. Store your coriander in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.

More Reading:
How to Grow Cilantro
Video: How to Dry Herbs
Article: How to Dry Herbs

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Comments (3)

Kate_Frank writes: Leslie, why not plant extra? Or would you use all that up, too? :) I'm that way with basil.

I prefer ground coriander to using to the whole seeds. There's something about the burst of flavor in a seed that's too much for me. I usually try to crush the seeds by pounding on them with the side of a knife, but I'm thinking if I had a small coffee grinder specifically for spices, that would work, too.
Posted: 11:54 am on August 24th

ChrisMcLaughlin writes: I'm so glad you posted this because many people don't realize where coriander comes from and it's so difficult to keep cilantro from bolting!
Posted: 11:58 pm on August 22nd

LeslieinPayson writes: We use the cilantro (leaves) in such large amounts in Mexican food and salsa that I can't get enough grown, it goes to seed. I knew that the seeds are used as a spice but I never saved them. Do you crush them or anything to release the flavor?
Posted: 4:13 pm on August 22nd

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