Green Coriander

One of my favorite ingredients is only available to those who grow it

Summer produce is easy to celebrate, but one of my all-time favorite crops is one you’ll never see in a store or even a farmers’ market. Cilantro is prone to bolting once the weather hearts up, but the silver lining to that trait is the arrival not long after of green coriander seeds. Green coriander has a short season—in hot weather like this it dries out quickly, turning into the spice you likely have in your kitchen drawer—but while the seeds are green they exist in a magical state that’s halfway between the flavors of cilantro and coriander. And they’re cute and shiny, too.

Try busting some up in your molcajete next time you make guacamole, or add them to any spice-centric dish from tagine to pilaf to coconut curry. They’re wicked in zhug. I like to pickle them: just put them in a 3% brine (30g salt per liter of water) for a few days to lacto-ferment somewhere cool (stir them once or twice a day). They do well as vinegar pickles too, or as a flavoring for pickled carrots or whatever else is coming out of the garden while these are happening. Sprinkle a few pickled seeds on a freshly shucked oyster. You’re welcome.

Gardening brings many benefits, and one of the less-touted yet more-awesome of these perks is VIP backstage access to the plants at every stage of their growth—you can use roots, seeds, flowers, stems, and more that never see a market. And cilantro is extra nice because you can grow it in a container on a stoop or fire escape or in a sunny window. No garden required! If you missed the spring planting. Sow some seeds now and they’ll flower and go to seed before it gets too cold. Pollinators like the flowers, too. Everybody wins.