Cilantro bolts (or goes to seed) very quickly in the heat. Start a few every two weeks to get a steady supply. I tried a "slow bolting" variety but with this heat and lack of rain, I didn't notice much difference, except in the ones I planted in windowboxes and moved into the shade of the tomato plants.

I just save the seeds and store in the refrigerator in glass jars. My kitchen cabinets get super warm next to and above the stove, so I do the refrigerator storage thing. To grind spices, I bought a cheap coffee grinder and use that. Or for small amounts, put in a paper bag and crush with a rolling pin.

1. It's the nature of the beast. Plant the seeds, blink once and you've got leaves. Before you can blink twice, you've got seeds again!

2. Do what Felpec does, or try putting them through your food processor. It may take a while, but if the blades are sharp (which mine aren't after 30-plus years of abuse!), you'll end up with a powder. Or try the 'seeds in a bag and hammer it' technique! The seeds do not need to be roasted, and they'll store longer if kept whole. Keep them in a cool, dry, dark place in an airtight container. A jar is just fine.

They grind nicely and conveniently in a pepper mill, particularly one that does a fine grind. A small mortar and pestle does the job very well, with slightly more effort. Though they're generally used raw, roasting (as with cumin) adds a nice flavor that's valued in Indian cooking.

hi

i planted my corriander 2 months ago, it has 4 or 5 leaves, i harvested some but how shall i get it to run to seed. i want some seeds from it.

Not me hinesh I want Cilantro! I've tried to plant Cilantro 3 or 4 times and every time it goes to seed almost immediately. There has to be something that I'm doing wrong because the stuff that u buy in the supermarkets looks great and I don't even come close to having that kind of foliage. In fact I usually don't get any Cilantro leaves at all it seems to go right into some seedy type of plant with foliage that looks more like dill than Cilantro. Can anyone give me an idea of what I'm doing wrong? Most of the time I've use fairly good soil, potting soil when it's in pots and very nice stuff when it's in the ground. Am I using too good of a soil or do I just need to cut it back before it get over 4" tall? Any help would be much appreciated because this is the one herb that I use a ton of but I just can't seem to grow it at all.

To keep a continuous supply of cilantro, allow it to go to seed and self-seed in the garden. You'll probably never plant it again. It does not like being transplanted. In warm temps or low water situations it does indeed bolt straight to seed. I get huge cilantro plants here...and I don't even like the stuff. My variety is HOT HOT HOT!! I can't eat spicy foods. I keep it because some friends and family like it better than regular cilantro and haven't established their plant-seed cycles yet.

Hinesh, just wait a bit and it will run to seed. Its inevitable.

Another option to get a regular supply is to plant seeds a few weeks apart. Avoid sun and hot weather for these. Also choose a cilantro type that is slow to bolt. The parsley shaped leaves as well as the thinner ones that come up just prior to seeding, are both very good. Never heard of a hot cilantro, but there are some spicy parsley types out there. When I collect the seeds from mine, I use a small blender type coffee mill to grind them. They get used in my home made sausages, as well as on pastrami.

I planted cilantro in a BIG pot last year and it bolted very quickly. But I got a wonderful harvest of seeds from it.
I also planted a row of cilantro (about 6 feet long) in the flower bed (about 6x6 with a small crepe myrtle in the middle). It did well and oddly, it didn't bolt. I never expected it to come back but this year its back and is growing beautifully. Very bushy. I use cilantro a lot in cooking, so I'm constantly pinching off bunches of it, which is why perhaps mine has shown no signs of bolting yet, though the season is young. It's has been growing since late January (amazingly enough) and has been unaffected by the cold...even freezing temps the past few days. But its extremely bushy and dense, a full & lush row of cilantro. I'm thrilled.

In warmer climates above about Z8, it will survive winters. The plants do die out, but beforehand, they do send up the seeds, which will drop on the ground everwhere, and replant themselves for a new crop.