Some how I planted round zucchini, the information sticker in the plant said nothing about this being round, and it looked like regular long zucchini, any idea what it's really called or if it cooks or tastes different? Also how can I keep my cilantro from turning into nothing but flowers, I know that you can use the balls that they turn into for another kind of seasoning, but I really want the cilantro leaves to last as long as possible because that is the main reason I plant it. Any help will be very much appreciated. Thanks Terri
round Zucchini
Maybe you ended up with a weird offshoot from a hybrid, in your zucchini, but I grow round varieties like Ronde de Nice and they're very good. Try it and see what you think. It should have a typical zucchini flavor.
You can cut back your cilantro and postpone the flowering up to a point, but eventually it's going to happen. We snip the leaves and freeze them in packages, and it tastes fairly fresh that way. Or you can let a couple of plants go to seed and they'll resow themselves for a later crop.
Thanks I'll try that, since all of the cilantro came up on it's own from last years seeds. I love getting free plants.
Could be Ronde de Nice or 8-ball - both are excellent and can be used exactly like any other zuke. Also terrific to pick at the golf ball stage and use for kabobs.
Cilantro tends to be very fast to bolt, but there are a few slow-bolting varieties that will add a couple of weeks. There's also a wonderful plant called "culantro" which tastes the same but lasts MUCH longer.
Mmmmm - won't be long now...
I was given a few leaves of culantro last winter and was mystified because it smelled and tasted just like cilantro but that was the end of the similarities. I just figured out the name culantro a couple weeks ago and found the seeds at BakerCreekSeeds.com. They also have one called Slo-bolt Cilantro. I'm going to try both because I have a lot of troubles with the regular kind. It will bolt in January with just a few warm days.
Does anyone here have experience with either one of these varieties?
I have only grown slow-bolt cilantro but of course it still bolts eventually. Some cilantro that volunteered in my herb garden this spring is now flowering, but we're going to let it go to seed for a new crop. We have already harvested some of it and frozen it. And we also have some young plants coming because it self-sowed.
Can you use culantro for everything that you'd use cilantro for?
I've never grown culantro or used it, just smelled and tasted it. I showed it to my Mexican neighbors and they had never seen it before. The leaves were larger like a skinny leaf lettuce and thick like a green cabbage leaf. It doesn't look anything like cilantro but taste wise I don't think I could tell the difference. You'd definitely have to shred it. It's also called Vietnamese Cilantro. My daughter found it at an Asian store and brought me a couple leaves with the question "What is this?" Cactusman mentioned it on the pepper forum and I enquired about it. He started some seeds last fall and has been nursing a few plants along. I think it's perennial, at least in my zone and that sounds real good
Mola I'm going to try real Cilantro one more time this fall and that's it if your idea about heavy nitro doesn't do it.
As I mentioned above, I use it and it's great. The slo-bolt extends the cilantro life x2 at least, but that's still only a couple of months. The culantro will grow on my windowsill and is practically perennial. If I hadn't found the slo-bolt cilantro at a season-end sale where I HAD TO BUY EVERYTHING (hey - it was Seeds of Change @ 25 cents a pack!), I'd just stay with the culantro. Though, honestly, the smell of the cilantro is more distinct, and I LOVE it, but for Cooking and Salsa, I can't really taste the difference.
How do ya'll feel about flat leafed parsley vs curly parsley? I know the "purests" Italian cooks say it's the flat-leafed or nothing, but I grow the curly because it lasts forever and the flat-leaf tends to get leggy and go to seed by mid-winter. (And I guess my taste buds aren't as fine-tuned as a good Italian Chef!?!)
Mola - YES, YOU DO! Let's face it - if it's available, we MUST grow it!
A word of caution though, the Culantro seeds do not store, so buy them when you are going to use them for the best germination.
Soon to be 50M and 1!