One plant, so many uses!

We purposefully let our cilantro plants completely go this past spring. They grew wild and free until hundreds of coriander pods exploded!

Yes, cilantro is the mother of coriander. They're actually different parts of the same plant, Coriandrum savitum.

Did you know, this versatile herb is in the same family as celery, parsley and carrot? Cilantro and coriander offer a lot of amazing health benefits.

We grew up eating cilantro, but not everyone can tolerate it. If you taste overwhelming soap flavor when you eat it, you have the OR6A2 gene. More on that here.

Back to our harvest. We clipped overgrown cilantro stems at their base and shoved them, pods and all, into a paper bag to dry.

After a few weeks they turn from green to this pale color. We ground them up for arepa fillings, curries and masalas (Indian spice mixes). We use them in pickling spice for yummy dill pickles. Recipe here.

Ok, little side note here, the pickle crunch is unreal in our favorite pickle recipe here. Thank you, Carol!

It's a beautiful cycle from plant giving seed to seed growing plant. With these coriander seed pods, we'll grow even MORE cilantro indoors during winter as micro greens. A micro green is a seedling version of the full grown plant. Interestingly, they often contain more concentrated vitamin and mineral compounds than the full grown.

Lovely cilantro micro greens under grow lights (Can you see the coriander seed pods still clinging to the tops of the seed leaves?

Nutrition is a side benefit, but flavor profiles we love! You can't find this taste in a grocery produce aisle! Pictures of some of our favorite micro green dishes:

Mango cilantro salsa Sandwich wraps White chicken chili

We'll enjoy several varieties of micro greens at any given time: broccoli, pea, arugula, leek and personal favorite, sunflower! I'd like to think we're becoming more sustainable in this endeavor by collecting seeds from mature plants so we don't have to keep purchasing. We collect pepper, tomato and cucumber seeds as well.

Black bean salad with garden goodies

When we do purchase seed, we count on True Leaf Market. I'm not affiliated with True Leaf Market, nor receive proceeds for endorsement in any way. In the last five years their seeds have always been quality and the price point is right.

It doesn't have to be a huge investment. When first starting out, we grew broccoli seed indoors on a south facing window sill. We reused soil with composted kitchen scraps, we potted in cardboard egg containers and glass bowls from the cupboard.

Kitchen colander for growing shallow lettuce (Tip: line with TP to keep soil in)

Are you interested in beginning to grow, but don't know where to start? It can feel daunting with SO much information out there. Who to trust? Two sources linked below really helped us along our growing journey. There are many, and you will find the best resource for you. I have been obsessed with Mandy's On the Grow and Kevin's Epic Gardening channels for a while. I think Kevin's book, Urban Gardening is a great resource for innovative gardening in a small space.

A million accolades to these amazing gurus! They are leading a health revolution of sustainable, self-sufficiency. So many of us want to return to basics, simpler living and a sense of ownership with what we consume. Thank you for sharing this moment with me! I feel our ancient farming ancestors smiling down with pride.