and the Baja peninsula. The seeds of both can be used to make a refreshing summer drink.
How to grow: Plant the seeds of chía in spring in very fast-draining soil in full sun. They grow 2 to 3 feet tall and produce small blue flowers. Good drainage is essential, as most sages die readily in heavy clay or soggy soil.
Harvest the dried seed stalks and, when completely dry, winnow off the seed pods and chaff from the seeds.
Varieties
The easiest way to obtain chía seeds is to purchase a package at a Mexican market, where it is usually offered on racks with other Mexican herbs. Seeds of chias are also carried by J. L.
Hudson, Plants of the Southwest, and Native Seeds/SEARCH.
How to prepare: Chia is primarily used to make a cooling drink called agua con chía. Place a tablespoon of chia seeds in a pitcher and add a quart of water. Let sit for an hour or so until the seeds have become gelatinous and swell. When ready to serve, add limes and sugar to taste, stir, and pour the seeds and juice over ice. Less traditionally, chia leaves can be used to flavor poultry and meats, and the sprouted seeds can be sprinkled on salads to give a peppery taste.
Chia
CILANTRO ET AL.
(cilantro, fresh coriander, Chinese parsley)
Coriandrum sativum
CULANTRO
(cilantro, cilantrillo, Mexican coriander)
Eryngium foetidum
PAPALOQUELITE
(papalo)
Porophyllum ruderale ssp. macrocephalum
CILANTRO ( BETTER KNOWN AS coriander throughout much of the world) is native to the Mediterranean and has been cultivated for over 3,000 years, beginning with the ancient Egyptians. Culantro and papaloquelite, on the other hand, are native to Mexico and South America. What all three of these herbs have in common is a similar flavor and aroma people either love or hate. I, for one, crave the earthy flavor.
Cilantro in flower
cilantro
Cilantro, which looks something like parsley, is widely used in Mexican cuisine—both the fresh leaves, called cilantro, and the ripe seeds, called coriander. Culantro is a tender perennial herb with long, incised leaves that takes hotter weather than cilantro and, unlike cilantro and papaloquelite, can also be successfully dried, retaining its characteristic flavor and color. According to herb maven Carole Saville, papaloquelite tastes similar to cilantro but has a more complex flavor, which she describes as “sort of like gazpacho in a leaf, sans tomatoes.”
How to grow: Contrary to what lots of gardeners think, the annual cilantro is easy to grow; you just need to know its idiosyncrasies. Cilantro needs cool weather and bolts to seed readily when days start to lengthen in the spring and when weather becomes warm. Therefore, it is best planted in the fall. In cold-winter areas, it can be planted as a quick fall crop before a heavy frost hits, or the seeds can be planted in late fall to sprout the next spring after the ground thaws. In mild-winter areas, fall-planted cilantro grows lush and tall over winter. (Cilantro tolerates light frosts.) In short-spring areas, early plantings are more successful than late. One guaranteed way to grow under these conditions is to treat it as a cut-and-come-again crop. Plant seeds 1 inch apart and snip 3-inch-tall seedlings above ground level; replant every 2 weeks until the weather gets too warm.
When possible, start cilantro from seeds in place, as it resents transplanting (another reason cilantro bolts readily). Plant seeds ¼ inch deep in rich, light soil and in full sun. Thin the seedlings to 6 inches and keep moist. The varieties most commonly available in nurseries, while adequate, are bred to quickly bolt and produce seeds (coriander) for the world seed trade. If you choose varieties bred for leaf production instead, available from mail-order seed companies, you’ll harvest leaves for a longer time. Fertilize if plants get pale. Except for slugs, cilantro has few pests and diseases. Harvest cilantro sprigs once plants are 6 inches tall.
Culantro is treated as a short-lived perennial in warm-climate zones. Below Zone 9, it is grown as an annual. Sow seeds indoors in early winter and set seedlings out when the soil has warmed. (Seeds are slow to germinate.) Grow culantro in moderately fertile, fast-draining, moist soil in full sun. In warm climates, grow it in filtered sun. It may also be grown in containers and wintered over inside. Culantro grows to 2 feet tall, with a rosette of sharply toothed, oblong basal leaves (ones growing from the crown at the base of the plant) about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. Flowering stems grow to about 18 inches. Keep flowering stems cut back for a continual harvest of the basal leaves. Control slugs and snails.
One plant of papaloquelite is usually sufficient. It is a warm-weather annual that is easily grown if the seed is sown after the weather is reliably warmed. (It can also be started indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date.) It does best in full sun and in a well-drained, sandy soil. Give regular water. The plant can reac 6 feet but stays smaller in most areas. The leaves are best harvested when the plant is young.
Varieties
Choose cilantro varieties designated as slow-bolting, available from Shepherds, Nichols, and Johnny’s. Papaloquelite and culantro are carried by Richters.
How to prepare: Cilantro leaves are used fresh, as the flavor fades quickly when cooked. Generally, they are chopped and sprinkled on a dish or mixed in after cooking to give a characteristic flavor. Add the chopped leaves sparingly to tacos, guacamole, and bean and corn dishes, fold it into cooked vegetable dishes, salsas, moles, ceviche and other fish dishes, or use whole leaves as a garnish. The essential oils in cilantro fade quickly and there is no successful way to preserve its flavor.
In Mexico, the aromatic leaves of culantro are classically used in soups and stocks, added at the end of cooking. Culantro is a versatile herb that can be used in any dish where you want the taste of cilantro. It’s great with ground cumin when added to guacamole. In some regions of Mexico, the flower heads of culantro are used as a spice to flavor moles. Sprinkle a chicken or bean taco with queso fresca and chopped culantro leaves to appreciate its characteristic flavor.
In her book, Exotic Herbs, Carole Saville says that some restaurants in Mexico keep sprigs of culantro in a glass of water on the table so diners can pluck leaves “to add to bean dishes or roll up in a warm tortilla.” She recommends it in tomato salsa, especially chipotle salsa, and in any dish where you would use cilantro. Craig Dremann of the Redwood City Seed Company says some people choose food stands in Mexico by whether they serve cilantro or papaloquelite. Those serving papaloquelite offer more authentic dishes.
Culantro
papaloquelite
CORN
(MAIZ: DRY CORN; ELOTE: FRESH CORN OR CORN ON THE COB)
Zea
