Just wait! After flowering, it will seed, and a week or 3 after it seeds, itll have cute little round balls in place of the flowers. These are the seeds, and they come off with fairly little effort. I would keep them in a bunch upside down to dry or spread out on a pan before you package them. They keep better whole, and will be more tasty if you grind them in a spice mill right before use! good luck!

Coriander is the seed itself. After cilantro flowers, it will set little, round, green seed. Let these dry on the plant and eventually the seeds turn brown. It is these little, round, brown seed that are coriander. You can use them whole or grind them.

Hi herbalbetty & garnetmoth,

Thanks so much for your posts I really appreciate it and will be able to have the coriander due to your help! Have a great day! : )

Coriandrum Sativum is known as Cilantro, the Spanish word, and as Coriander, the English word. It is also known as Chinese parsley. However, they are all the same herb.

The seeds ripen quickly. If you want to use the seeds to start new plant, it is a good idea to cut the seed heads into a paper sack and dry in a cool, dark place. That way you won't have them go to waste and reseed on their own.

If you want to use the seeds as a spice, coriander seeds, then store them in the refrigerator because they are prone to have weevils. Also it is recommended that you can add a few bay leaves to keep the weevils away.

this cilantro that everyone has spoken of was coriander all the time?

well i'm ignorant. :)

i would advise cuitting the stems when the seeds are just starting to brown slightly, therefore they have time on the plant to ripen but don't risk wasting them

then do the whole paper bag thingy

You are not ignorant.

The thing about common names is that it confuses people because we hear one name in one place then another different name in another place, when it's the same plant all along. That is why I am trying to start using the botanical names more and the common names less. But when I'm teaching an herb class, I usually try to introduce the herb with both names, and then lean towards using the botanical name. It helps to stop confusion!

weevils?
what?
how?

I don't know how, but both of my books which I use for research said the same thing about the weevils. The books Southern Herb Growing by M. Hill and G. Barclay and Herbs for Texas by H. Garrett make the comment about weevils. However, The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses by D. Bown does not mention anything about weevils.

I remember that one time I was going to store some seeds, so I brought them into the house, and it didn't take long for me to throw them back outside. They were nasty.

Now maybe, since both of my reference books are written mainly for Texas herbs growers, that the weevils might be more common down here.

Sorry that I can't give you a better answer, but the above is what I have discovered.

I'd never heard of Cilantro until I joined American forums. To me, the plant has always been, and always will be, Coriander, and the seeds are coriander seeds. Simple as that. Common names can be a regional thing. (The one that bugs me is Cotton Lavender, which is related to neither cotton, nor lavender! It's really Santolina, like its botanical name.)

The Âseeds are technically the fruit, each containing 2 true seeds. Germination can be improved by rubbing the fruits until the 2 seeds separate. Soak the seeks for 3-4 days, changing the water twice daily, then dry the seeds for 8 hours before planting. But really, if you just let them fall, they'll self-seed without any help from you.

To harvest seeds, let the plants grow until the first set of seeds begins to turn brown and dries enough to crack when pinched. At this time, cut and hang the plants to dry over a catch-cloth. (Or tie a little cloth bag over the seedheads - pantyhose material is great for this.)

I was recently cleaning out a drawer of kitchen stuff, and a nutmeg that was not in a container did have chew-holes all through it. I think thats the only time somehting other than wax moths have ruined a foodstuff. it might be a regional problem in Texas, but thanks for the heads up on weevils Lt.
I am trying to learn botanical names for more things myself.

good luck Tussiemussies.

Thanks for that information about fruits and seeds, Daisy!

The herb is generally used fresh in Latin American cooking and initially appeared here mostly in Latin markets; perhaps that's why the fresh leaves are usually called by their Spanish name. The seeds are often used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.

Coriander is the seeds. They will come after flowering. Cilantro sometimes needs a long season to come into enough bloom to produce a good amount of seeds. :)

I just wanted to thank everyone who answered my question on this thread, I did just recently notice that some of the flowers did get the little green seed balls on them, so with your help, I'm good to go! Thanks! : ) tussiemussies

I don't mean to put a damper on grinding your own Coriander from your own seed, but DO put the mature seed into the freezer for at least a few days. This will kill any hidden parasites.

Yes, the parasites will still be in the thawed/frozen seed when you grind it, but at least they'll be dead. Consider it a little extra protein.

I have to admit that this is what stops me from using my own Cilantro seed for homegrown Coriander. I once harvested a crop & after examining the seed found that quite a few of the seeds each had a tiny hole in them. Obviously a parasite.

I prefer to get my protein elsewhere, thank you - lol!!!!

One year I put a plant with seed pods upside down in a paper grocery bag and left it in my little greenhouse to finish drying. When I went to gather the seed, all that was in the bottom of the bag was mouse "seed". Be sure to put your plants/seeds in a mouse-free area.They apparently like coriander.

yeah in england it s just coriander plant, coriander seeds. coriander usualy refers to the seeds.

instead of freezing you could alternaatively microwave them very quickly. that will kill any weevils.

never heard of wevils affecting them here, but i'v never grown coriander before so there was no reason for me to know.

mice eh? keep terriers and cats :) never had problems with mice myself.

There are four names for coriander in Sanskrit language and those are:
Kusthumbari, Kustumburi, Dhanayaka, and Dhaniyaka.Now it is well-known that India was exporting spices to Mid-eastern and Europian countries in ancient times.
Will it be correct to assume that these Sanskrit words changed to new formats for easy communication from one ethnic group to another ethnic group and what we use to day are the most accepted form?

Hedgewitch - if you lurk on these forums you will find all sorts of new names for things e.g. arugula is our rocket, zucchini are courgettes, eggplant is aubergine, beets are beetroot etc. Bay is generally called bay laurel. A rose of sharon is a hybiscus not a hypericum calycinum as we would have it. Hence the importance of the botanical names. Also the problems are often very different from ours. For example many people on here grow basil easily outdoors in summer but struggle with rosemary in winter, whereas we have the opposite problem. I find it fascinating.