Is anyone familiar with this herb? It is new to me this year. I bought it at a plant sale and remember from the tag(now lost-drat) that it is not hardy in my zone 5.It is a broadleaf rather than "ferny" or parsley-like leaf but has a cilantro flavor(maybe not quite as pungent though.)It has grown from the three inch pot size to about a foot high and wide and I will try to dig it up to winter over under lights but I'd like to know more about it. I'm thinking the name was "Jakarta" ??? Thanks for any help
Vietnamese Cilantro
there is rau rom (pronounced Gow Gom)
which is a Polygonum odoratum
small viney kinda thing.
I grow a pile of it, neat lil plant. run a google on it as I don't think i have a pic on my page, see if thats the right plant.
drew
Drew, Thanks so much- the picture I found is it exactly!! Glad to know it is REALLY frost sensitive- I'm going to need to dig it soon so one of our sneaky early Ohio frost's doesn't kill it. Also sounds like it thrives on being divided so I can plan to share- we have a Master Gardener's plant sale every May and I'm always looking for plants that "keep on giving" It was interesting that it is related to the knotweed family because the structure looked so much like them- kind of node-y stems and a splotch of dark color on the leaf- I was a little hesitant to taste it at first( afraid it would taste weedy I guess) but I've been using it in salsa all summer and it has been great!! Love those herbs!! MW
wish i'd known you were into this kinda stuff...
i own a lil herb farm, and this year I had 4 different cilantro substitutes...
course with the summer heat, i just chucked all the left overs.
my fav's this year, Rau Rom, Popalo, and culantro.
culantro is cool, aka sawtoothed herb, or Eryngium odoratum.
drew
Drew, That's good to know since regular cilantro always bolts before my tomatoes are ripe and then I don't have any for salsa. Do any of these preserve well in any way? I've not had any luck with drying or freezing the regular and keeping that fresh flavor. Do you have a regular website? I'm always looking for new herbs that smell good. MW
check my profile.
i'm all about good smellin plants.
which is ironic since i've been building a retaining wall out of railroad ties all day. *laugh*