Harvesting Coriander

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So this year I was not going to do a garden so I could concentrate on painting my house, refinishing a bedroom and finish putting together my kitchen. The only thing in my garden that I planted this year was centennial hops which are doing awesome. My garden, however, had other ideas. I just harvested a ton of coriander seeds and am getting close to having tomatoes for salads. All of this is voluntary plants. So lift one to Mother Nature for providing even when not asked.

I only harvested about half of what was there and the ground is covered with little balls.

Hops crowing in the cilantro.

 

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First year hop plants.

 

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I just measured the coriander I harvested.... I got 1.35 ounces. Then I looked at the container I bought last year for 6 bucks. 2/3rds gone and 1.2 ounces. I think I should go try to harvest a little more because that was with the chaff still in it..

 

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I was able to get another ounce out of the garden. Should be able to get through this winter's brewing sessions with what I got.

 

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Not bad considering I didn't plant them, didn't pull weeds more than twice around them, cut cilantro for Mexican food an untold number of times, heck, I never even bothered to water them and now I have something to brew with.

 

[IslandLizard]

I just measured the coriander I harvested.... I got 1.35 ounces. Then I looked at the container I bought last year for 6 bucks. 2/3rds gone and 1.2 ounces. I think I should go try to harvest a little more because that was with the chaff still in it..

Nothing wrong with that and probably tastes wonderful, better than store bought! The cilantro is a nice bonus. Or are the seeds the bonus?

I go through about 2 pounds of coriander (and cumin seeds) a year. Indian cooking does that. It's less than $2 a pound if bought in big 7# bags at the Indian store.

You probably know, but coriander (and cumin) gets much better flavor when toasted to a shade or 2 darker in a skillet on medium heat, takes about a minute. Keep tossing the seeds to toast evenly and prevent over-browning/burning.

 

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Nothing wrong with that and probably tastes wonderful, better than store bought! The cilantro is a nice bonus. Or are the seeds the bonus?

I go through about 2 pounds of coriander (and cumin seeds) a year. Indian cooking does that. It's less than $2 a pound if bought in big 7# bags at the Indian store.

You probably know, but coriander (and cumin) gets much better flavor when toasted to a shade or 2 darker in a skillet on medium heat, takes about a minute. Keep tossing the seeds to toast evenly and prevent over-browning/burning.

Well apparently I am a dumba$$...... 2 dollar a pound. The last time I bought it I paid $80 a pound! It was a 1.2 ounce jar, but still! I will have to look and see if their is an indian store around here.

And I was so proud of the 2.2 ounces I got for nothing but a half hour of my time!

I do have to say, though, you are correct about the freshness. I can't even smell anything from the jar I bought without cracking them open, but the smell coming from the bag and my fingers is amazing and makes me want to brew a few Belgians while drinking one.

I will post a couple of pictures of what I ended up with.

Stems, dirt and small or broken seeds.

Side by side comparison.... fresh on the left. Store bought on the right. Store bought has more stems and broken seeds and maybe a slightly lighter color. The lighter color problem comes from being washed which I did not do since it will never bu used uncooked. I didn't wand to take the chance of washing away floor or risk rotting them.

Volume wise I got 2 and a quarter jars full. Leading me to believe mine may have less oils in them, may be dried more or may be slightly larger or lastly, there wasn't 1.2 ounces in there to begin with. Not sure which. No matter what if the aroma comes through as flavor in the beer it will be outstanding.