Dog3 wrote:
> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've given
> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never frozen
> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.

In my experience, none of the standard ways of preserving herbs work
with cilantro. You can dry it, but it ends up tasting like tea, not the
nice cilantro taste. If you want to try freezing it, chop it in the
food processor with a steel blade or puree it in a blender. Either way,
add a liquid like water, vinegar, vodka, red wine or tomato juice, and
freeze in an ice cube tray. I've tried all of the above except the
tomato juice. It works a charm with basil, dill, tarragon, parsley,
etc. With cilantro, I always get that nasty stale tea flavor, not the
cilantro flavor I like. Even when I buy cilantro dried commercially, I
never get the fresh cilantro taste. Good luck, and tell me how your
experiments turn out. If you hit on the way preserve that flavor, let
me know. I'm dying to hear it.

--Lia

Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla;not> wrote in
:

> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
> given tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've
> never frozen it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be
> frozen.
>
> Michael

It can be dried, if it can't be frozen.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Julia Altshuler > wrote in
news:BTWIc.71143$IQ4.29907@attbi_s02:

> Dog3 wrote:
>> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
>> given tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've
>> never frozen it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be
>> frozen.
>
> In my experience, none of the standard ways of preserving herbs work
> with cilantro. You can dry it, but it ends up tasting like tea, not
> the nice cilantro taste. If you want to try freezing it, chop it in
> the food processor with a steel blade or puree it in a blender.
> Either way, add a liquid like water, vinegar, vodka, red wine or
> tomato juice, and freeze in an ice cube tray. I've tried all of the
> above except the tomato juice. It works a charm with basil, dill,
> tarragon, parsley, etc. With cilantro, I always get that nasty stale
> tea flavor, not the cilantro flavor I like. Even when I buy cilantro
> dried commercially, I never get the fresh cilantro taste. Good luck,
> and tell me how your experiments turn out. If you hit on the way
> preserve that flavor, let me know. I'm dying to hear it.
>
> --Lia
>
>

Have you considered cilantro flavoured vinegars and vodkas?

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Julia Altshuler > wrote in
news:BTWIc.71143$IQ4.29907@attbi_s02:

> Dog3 wrote:
>> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
>> given tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've
>> never frozen it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be
>> frozen.
>
> In my experience, none of the standard ways of preserving herbs work
> with cilantro. You can dry it, but it ends up tasting like tea, not
> the nice cilantro taste. If you want to try freezing it, chop it in
> the food processor with a steel blade or puree it in a blender.
> Either way, add a liquid like water, vinegar, vodka, red wine or
> tomato juice, and freeze in an ice cube tray. I've tried all of the
> above except the tomato juice. It works a charm with basil, dill,
> tarragon, parsley, etc. With cilantro, I always get that nasty stale
> tea flavor, not the cilantro flavor I like. Even when I buy cilantro
> dried commercially, I never get the fresh cilantro taste. Good luck,
> and tell me how your experiments turn out. If you hit on the way
> preserve that flavor, let me know. I'm dying to hear it.
>
> --Lia
>
>

Have you considered cilantro flavoured vinegars and vodkas?

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

On 2004-07-13, Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla> wrote:

> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've given
> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never frozen
> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.

Check these links:

http://www.mcttelecom.com/~planter/r..._freezing.html
http://houseandhome.msn.com/Garden/FreezingHerbs.aspx
http://www.gourmetspot.com/tipofweek24.htm
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftapr03.htm

The most common methods are to freeze it in an ice cube tray with water,
or make a slurry and freeze the slurry.

--
Clay Irving >

On 2004-07-13, Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla> wrote:

> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've given
> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never frozen
> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.

Check these links:

http://www.mcttelecom.com/~planter/r..._freezing.html
http://houseandhome.msn.com/Garden/FreezingHerbs.aspx
http://www.gourmetspot.com/tipofweek24.htm
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftapr03.htm

The most common methods are to freeze it in an ice cube tray with water,
or make a slurry and freeze the slurry.

--
Clay Irving >

Clay Irving wrote:

> Check these links:
>
> http://www.mcttelecom.com/~planter/r..._freezing.html
> http://houseandhome.msn.com/Garden/FreezingHerbs.aspx
> http://www.gourmetspot.com/tipofweek24.htm
> http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftapr03.htm

Thanks. There are 2 suggestions on those pages that I haven't tried.
They're related. One is to use oil instead of water, wine or vinegar
when processing the cilantro and then freezing. The other is to make
sure the cilantro/liquid puree is in an airtight container before
freezing. I've always left the ice cube tray open, frozen it, then
removed to a ziploc bag. If the original poster or someone else tries
either of those, I'll hope they'll get back to me. I've wondered
forever why the method that works so well with other herbs fails
miserably with cilantro.


--Lia

Clay Irving wrote:

> Check these links:
>
> http://www.mcttelecom.com/~planter/r..._freezing.html
> http://houseandhome.msn.com/Garden/FreezingHerbs.aspx
> http://www.gourmetspot.com/tipofweek24.htm
> http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftapr03.htm

Thanks. There are 2 suggestions on those pages that I haven't tried.
They're related. One is to use oil instead of water, wine or vinegar
when processing the cilantro and then freezing. The other is to make
sure the cilantro/liquid puree is in an airtight container before
freezing. I've always left the ice cube tray open, frozen it, then
removed to a ziploc bag. If the original poster or someone else tries
either of those, I'll hope they'll get back to me. I've wondered
forever why the method that works so well with other herbs fails
miserably with cilantro.


--Lia

Dog3 wrote:

> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
given
> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never
frozen
> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.
>


Somewhere I saw a rec for cilantro *pesto* but I think that would be kinda
"weird"....

--
Best
Greg

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 19:30:06 +0000, Dog3 wrote:

> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've given
> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never frozen
> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.
>
> Michael

Let it go to seed and you can harvest coriander seeds. Very nice to toast
and grind to add to Mexican food dishes and they last for many months.


larry

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 05:25:45 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>
>Dog3 wrote:
>
>> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
>given
>> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never
>frozen
>> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.
>>
>
>
>Somewhere I saw a rec for cilantro *pesto* but I think that would be kinda
>"weird"....

I posted this one in 1997:

1 cup pecans, toasted
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded
1 anaheim chile, ditto
2-3 cloves garlic
juice of one lime
1/4 cup olive oil.
salt
pepper

Process all ingredients to a paste. Call it cilantro pesto. Spread
on quesadillas. Toss with grilled shrimp or other seafoods. Etc.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 05:25:45 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>
>Dog3 wrote:
>
>> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
>given
>> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never
>frozen
>> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.
>>
>
>
>Somewhere I saw a rec for cilantro *pesto* but I think that would be kinda
>"weird"....

I posted this one in 1997:

1 cup pecans, toasted
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded
1 anaheim chile, ditto
2-3 cloves garlic
juice of one lime
1/4 cup olive oil.
salt
pepper

Process all ingredients to a paste. Call it cilantro pesto. Spread
on quesadillas. Toss with grilled shrimp or other seafoods. Etc.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

In article >, modom@un-
koyote.com says...
> >Somewhere I saw a rec for cilantro *pesto* but I think that would be kinda
> >"weird"....
>
> I posted this one in 1997:
>
> 1 cup pecans, toasted
> 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
> 1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded
> 1 anaheim chile, ditto
> 2-3 cloves garlic
> juice of one lime
> 1/4 cup olive oil.
> salt
> pepper
>
> Process all ingredients to a paste. Call it cilantro pesto. Spread
> on quesadillas. Toss with grilled shrimp or other seafoods. Etc.
>
Wow Michael that sounds divine! I absolutely *adore* the taste of
cilantro (I know there are some folks who don't like it or who have some
sort of a gene that makes it taste like soap to them). This looks like a
winner and I'll be making some very soon.
--
Donna
A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist hopes they are.

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 15:23:29 -0000, Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla;not>
wrote:

>> I posted this one in 1997:
>>
>> 1 cup pecans, toasted
>> 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
>> 1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded
>> 1 anaheim chile, ditto
>> 2-3 cloves garlic
>> juice of one lime
>> 1/4 cup olive oil.
>> salt
>> pepper
>>
>> Process all ingredients to a paste. Call it cilantro pesto. Spread
>> on quesadillas. Toss with grilled shrimp or other seafoods. Etc.
>>
>>
>> modom
>>
>Sounds delish. How long does this keep in the freezer?
>
>Michael

Dunno. Never tried, but it's worth a shot.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 15:23:29 -0000, Dog3 <dognospam@adjfkdla;not>
wrote:

>> I posted this one in 1997:
>>
>> 1 cup pecans, toasted
>> 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
>> 1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded
>> 1 anaheim chile, ditto
>> 2-3 cloves garlic
>> juice of one lime
>> 1/4 cup olive oil.
>> salt
>> pepper
>>
>> Process all ingredients to a paste. Call it cilantro pesto. Spread
>> on quesadillas. Toss with grilled shrimp or other seafoods. Etc.
>>
>>
>> modom
>>
>Sounds delish. How long does this keep in the freezer?
>
>Michael

Dunno. Never tried, but it's worth a shot.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

"Dog3" <dognospam@adjfkdla;not> wrote in message
...
> I've got a lot of cilantro in the garden. I'll never use it all. I've
given
> tons to the neighbors and co-workers. Can I salvage this? I've never
frozen
> it so I don't know how. I'm not even sure it can be frozen.
>
> Michael
> --

Cilantro is a PITA to preserve. It doesn't carry over dried like other
herbs. I usually make a pesto with it and then freeze it for later.

Jack Corianderundum

Jack Schidt® wrote:

> Cilantro is a PITA to preserve. It doesn't carry over dried like other
> herbs. I usually make a pesto with it and then freeze it for later.


And freezing works, doesn't give you the same flavor as drying it? Give
me the details on how you freeze it. What's your pesto recipe? Lots of
oil? I'd been freezing it in something water or alcohol based and
having no luck. If there's a better way, I want to know it.

--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
news:hfuJc.96501$Oq2.69792@attbi_s52...
> Jack Schidt® wrote:
>
> > Cilantro is a PITA to preserve. It doesn't carry over dried like other
> > herbs. I usually make a pesto with it and then freeze it for later.
>
>
> And freezing works, doesn't give you the same flavor as drying it? Give
> me the details on how you freeze it. What's your pesto recipe? Lots of
> oil? I'd been freezing it in something water or alcohol based and
> having no luck. If there's a better way, I want to know it.
>
> --Lia
>

Nothing beats fresh, but I use xv olive oil and garlic for cilantro pesto.
No piñons or cheese or anything else.

Jack Whir

Jack Schidt® wrote:
> "Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
> news:hfuJc.96501$Oq2.69792@attbi_s52...
>
>>Jack Schidt® wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Cilantro is a PITA to preserve. It doesn't carry over dried like other
>>>herbs. I usually make a pesto with it and then freeze it for later.
>>
>>
>>And freezing works, doesn't give you the same flavor as drying it? Give
>>me the details on how you freeze it. What's your pesto recipe? Lots of
>>oil? I'd been freezing it in something water or alcohol based and
>>having no luck. If there's a better way, I want to know it.
>>
>>--Lia
>>
>
>
> Nothing beats fresh, but I use xv olive oil and garlic for cilantro pesto.
> No piñons or cheese or anything else.
>
> Jack Whir
>
I puree mine with just a pinch of salt and just enough oil to form a paste.
if you use an unsaturated oil, it won't freeze totally and you can scoop
it out directly from the freezer. otherwise, I've also spread it out on
a pan lined with greaseproof paper, then, once it's frozen snap it into
shards and into a ziploc. you can then break off what you need.

Good luck,
Hamez