I'm Kaye, and I'm a late bloomer.
One of the most rewarding aspects
of veggie gardening is saving your seeds.
and one of the easiest seeds to save
is cilantro, or coriander seed.
Today we're going to harvest coriander,
look at its health benefits,
and some ways to use coriander.
You can wait till the plant is
completely dry before you cut it,
like this one,
The seeds will be grayish tan
with striations when dry.
You can take the seeds off
just by hand, one at a time,
they come right off,
but that's a little time-consuming.
Bag the seed heads and knock the seeds off
into the bag. (whack, whack, whack, whack)
(whack, whack, bag slips off)
Whoah! Ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, way to go, Kaye.
(whack, whack, whack)
Wow....look at all those seeds.
Strain out the loose flower parts.
Massaging the seeds like this
breaks down those last few flower parts.
(acoustic guitar plays)
Store in a tightly sealed glass jar
until ready to use.
Some of these seed heads
are not quite dry, but I don't want
to lose them on the sidewalk
So, I'm going to bag up the heads,
cut the plants, hang them upside down,
til they dry.
Around the world, the phytonutrient
content of coriander is well known,
from lowering cholesterol, to
an anti-inflammatory plant,
to even an anti-diabetic plant,
it's a great source of fiber,
loaded with minerals,
and an excellent source of Vitamin K.
Like me....Kaye....Vitamin me. Ha, ha.
One of the world's oldest spices,
coriander was cultivated in ancient Egypt
and is mentioned in the Old Testament.
It is both an herb and a spice,
since it's fresh leaves and dried seeds
are used to season food.
The fragile fresh leaves are commonly
known as cilantro, in the same
plant family as Italian flat leaf parsley.
The fragrant seeds are available as
whole or ground spices,
however coriander loses its
flavor quickly after you grind it,
so keep it whole till you're ready to use it.
I try to succession plant cilantro
because even if I don't wind up using it,
the bees absolutely love
the umbel-shaped flowers.
(bees buzzing)
You can grind the seeds with a
mortar and pestle, but if you
soak them for ten minutes first
and strain them and then grind them,
the fragrant aroma comes alive.
And you want that....you really do. Ha, ha.
Alternately, you can store the seeds
in a pepper mill,
leave it on your table, and
grind them over your favorite foods.
(guitar music plays, energetic)
(preparing veggie scramble)
(grinding coriander)
Um! Oh, that's good!
Okay, let's see what else we can make.
They're are quite a number of spices
in the Indian spice blend garam masala.
And I have most of those,
So, I thought we'd mix up a
custom blend of my own,
and use it on some green lentils.
(pretty guitar music plays, energetic)
(high-pitched grinding sound)
(guitar music plays, medium energy)
(high-pitched grinding sound)
(pretty guitar music plays, slow)
(timer bell dings)
(machine grinding sound)
Let's have some of this
green lentil soup with my
fresh cherry tomatoes,
and my own custom garam masala
spice blend.
Ummmmm!
Oh! That is so good!
Umm!
A little bit hot...
Um!
Wow!
That is good!
Might as well finish it, right?
If you enjoyed this episode,
please give me a thumbs up,
and share with a friend.
I'm Kaye, I'm a late bloomer,
thanks for watching,
and I'll see you next time!
(bloopers begin)
That's what we're talking about today,
believe it or not, ha, ha.
The Indian spice blend garam...
...masala... ha, ha, ha.
I know how to say that, I really do, I...
That is a bumble bee right over my head.
Hi!
Give me a little space, will ya?
Come down here, I dare you.
Just right here....
What??
Haven't I given you enough attention?
The seeds are available whole or ground...
(watching bee) What,...what, what...?
What, what, what? What can I do for you?
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
(bee buzzing)
(high-pitched duck quack)
(soft acoustic guitar, medium energy)