Cilantro refers to the leaves of the Coriander plant. It is also known as the ‘fresh Coriander’, It is a multipurpose aromatic herb grown for it’s foliage, seeds and roots.
It is commonly eaten as food and sometimes it is used as a spice. Interestingly enough, the use of Cilantro doesn’t just end there; it can also be used as medicine.
Uses Of Cilantro
Cilantro has many uses and today, botanists and medical laboratory scientists are still researching other medical uses of the Cilantro.
So far, it has been discovered that Cilantro is used to treat cancer. Discovery has also shown that it can be used to treat measles. Once it was used for a toothache problem and showed some positive results, and since then it has been in continual use. Even though there may not be enough good scientific evidence to support these uses, they have proven to be helpful and effective.
How Does Cilantro Work?
Cilantro is indeed a magical vegetable. It has been discovered that the Cilantro can help remove metals such as mercury, aluminum, and lead from the body. Removing these metals from the body can serve as a catalyst to speed up the work of antibiotics and antiviral medicines.
Cilantro also helps to eliminate certain bacteria that cause infections.
Planting Cilantro
Cilantro best thrives in cool weather, so if you are going to cultivate it, watch out for either the early spring after the last frost or the fall once temperature has cooled down to 50 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
When planting Cilantro, seeds should be spaced, like 1 to 2 inches apart. It also thrives better in fast-draining soil with an acidic pH for optimal growing conditions. In some climates, you would only be able to harvest the leaves and not the seeds before the frost hits in the fall.
Types Of Cilantro
We are going to explore the varieties of Cilantro that exist and for each option, we are going to look at their culinary uses and offer suggestions on where and how you can go about planting them in your own garden.
- Advanced Turbo II
- Calypso
- Caribe
- Confetti
- Cruiser
- Culantro
- Delfino
- Dwarf Lemon
- Kanchanaburi
- Large Leaf
- Leisure
- Moroccan
1. Advanced Turbo ll
The ‘Advanced Turbo Il’ is a disease-resistant and heat-tolerant pick. It is a fast-growing variety of C. sativum that has gorgeous, glossy green leaves. It is also slow to bolt.
If you have experienced issues with bacterial blight on your Cilantro crop in the past. Try this variety, as it is resistant to bacterial pathogens. The ‘Advanced Turbo Il’ will be ready to harvest in a bunch of 35 to 40 days. Oh yeah, you don’t have to wait the whole year to eat your Cilantro. You can use this to make a cilantro-centric sauce. Not just that, you can also use it to make the delicious Yemeni delight, zhoug sauce, made with fresh coriander leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, cardamomand a few other spices.
It is currently easier to buy this from seed purveyors who sell to large-scale farmers.
2. Calypso
This is from the offspring of C. sativum, which is known for its bushy plants. The plants are slow to bolt. It is a high-yielding variety as it produces bunches of fresh Coriander foliage in 50 to 55 days, or in 85–105 days for seeds.
Try out adding some fresh Calypso leaves to a Caribbean-style dish of beans and rice; you can add some fried plantains and be overwhelmed with perfect delight.
It is also available in packs of 100 seeds from the Park Seed Store by connecting through Amazon.
3. Caribe
What an interesting variety to look into, the ‘Caribe’. It is a variety of C. sativum that produces very dark green leaves on vigorous plants, which can be used for greenhouse growing. It has better bolt resistance.
It produces a harvest of fresh foliage in 55 days, and then the seeds might come in later, after 100 days.
Have you tried adding some of these ‘Caribe’ leaves to a chutney? You should definitely try it! The ‘Caribe’ can be obtained in an assortment of package sizes ranging from one-eighty of an ounce up to 20 pounds from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
4. Confetti
The ‘confetti’ is a cultivar of C. sativum. It has a finely divided foliage, which makes it look as wispy as carrot or dill greens.
The ‘confetti’ requires little cutting and adds a different texture to culinary creations. The confetti plants are compact and less prone to blemished foliage than other varieties of Cilantro.
It is best cultivated for fresh leaves when the plants are young, about 30 to 35 days after sowing and the seeds come in about 80 to 100 days after sowing. You can purchase this variety in packs of about 150 seeds from Burpee.
5. Cruiser
It is an offspring of C. sativum and produces plants that bear dark green foliage. The ‘cruisers’ are bolt-resistant and have an excellent flavor, even when they have grown to flowers. Oh yeah, you just found your perfect flavour!
It will produce a harvest of fresh leaves in 50 to 55 days and seeds in about 120 to 150 days. One specific thing to take note of about the ‘cruiser’ is that they are best when you keep them cool. I suggest you top your fresh and cold cucumber salad with leaves of this tasty variety.
It is sold in a variety of packet sizes, from one-eighth of an ounce up to 20 pounds at High Mowing Organic Seeds.
6. Culantro
Also known as the ‘Eryngium Foetidum’, it is of the same family as C. sativum, the Apiaceae or umbelliferae family, and it’s also known by many other names, such as broadleaf Cilantro, Mexican Coriander and so on. It doesn’t take the frilly, parsley-like leaves of the ‘usual fresh coriander’ but it has long, lance-shaped leaves that have serrated edges.
It is best grown in moist soil that has a pH of 6.1 to 7.8. It reaches about 18 to 24 inches tall. It can be grown as a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11. In 80 to 90 days, it produces fresh leaves.
These tasty leaves are a marvel when added to dishes like the ‘Sofrito’. You can purchase them from Amazon in packets ranging from 400 to 1200 seeds.
7. Delfino
The ‘delfino’ was awarded the distinction of being an All-American Selections winner as of 2006. It might be similar to the ‘confetti’ in that it has finely divided feathery foliage. But then the ‘delfino’ is more productive than the ‘confetti’.
This cultivar requires just a little chopping to add to a lime-cilantro yogurt sauce. It would take about 35 days to harvest the ‘delfino’ after sowing. You can get these seeds in packs of 100 from Hirt’s through Amazon.
8. Dwarf Lemon
It is from the family C. sativum . It is a unique variety, as it’s flavors are quite unbelievable. It has an intensely pronounced citrusy flavor compared to other varieties of C. sativum and plants are rather petite, just about 12 inches tall.
Believe me when I say that the ‘dwarf lemons’ can be used to garnish just about any meal. Count on 50 days after sowing to harvest your fresh foliage and 110 days for it’s seeds.
They can be gotten from local suppliers of heirloom seed cultivars.
9. Kanchanaburi
This is a Thai variety from the town name ‘Kanchanaburi’; it was named after the town. It uses a prized cultivar of C. sativum for seed production.
This variety produces short plants that have incredible aromatic roots, which can no doubt be a great choice for cooking. It’s flavorful seeds can be used to season so many dishes, like pickles and home-made curries.
Due to the fact that it is an early-flowering plant, it can be used as an insectary plant for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Getting the seeds will require you to find distributors of open-pollinated seeds.
10. Large Leaf
The large leaf is a variety of C. sativum and it is very slow to bolt. It was primarily bred to maximize foliage production.
You can try this out in your kitchen. Mix these oversized leaves of this prolific cultivar with homegrown parsley, oregano and shallots to make your own chimichurri sauce. Thank me later.
‘Large leaf’ will produce bunches of leaves 40 to 50 days after sowing. It doesn’t take any time at all. You can also purchase from sellers of rare and heirloom seeds.
11. Leisure
Leisure is a productive and slow-to-bolt variety of C. sativum. It’s leaves are medium green in color, feathery and flat.
It is amazingly heat-tolerant, as Cilantro normally requires cold weather to thrive. It would mature in about 50–55 days, while the seeds would take about 90–105 days.
12. Moroccan
Moroccan is a cultivar of C. sativum that would go to the flower stage early.
It would take about 45 days to harvest after planting. You can get your Moroccan seeds grounded, which can be used as a spice in your homemade Moroccan couscous.
You would find Moroccan for purchase in parks with approximately 270 seeds.
Conclusion
We’ve looked broadly at the amazing varieties of the Cilantro, one would think that they are all different plants. I mean, judging from the different characteristics of all these varieties we have looked at, who would believe that they all spring from just one Cilantro.
We also saw that the seeds of these varieties of Cilantro often take longer to be harvested. Cilantro is a great source of seasoning, as everything about it is flavorful—the seeds, the leaves, even the roots! While you live, explore these varieties of Cilantro and be the next person to share your experience with one or two varieties of Cilantro.
