How to Cut Flowers off Cilantro Bolt

Cilantro doesn't grow well in hot weather.

Cilantro usage and cultivation is thought to date as far back as 3000 B.C. Native to Asia and the Middle East, cilantro now is used widely in Asian and Mexican dishes. The leaves of the cilantro plant are most often used, but the whole plant is edible, according to Washington State University Extension. Unlike most herbs, cilantro needs cool, moist conditions to grow well. If the weather heats up above 75 F, cilantro bolts, producing flower stalks. The flowers turn into coriander seeds if left on the plant but the cilantro leaves can become bitter once the plant bolts.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors

Instructions

1. Go out into your garden in the morning after the dew dries from the cilantro plants.

2. Hold the cilantro flower stalk in one hand and the scissors in your other hand.

3. Cut the flower stalk back to the base of the cilantro plant with the scissors.

Tips & Warnings

• After the cilantro bolts, the leaves will never return to the proper flavor.

• Wait until the flower stalks dry to harvest the coriander from the plant. Cut the flower stalks from the plant to get the coriander seeds in the stalks. For the best taste, dry the seeds completely before using.

References

• Washington State University Extension; Cilantro, Coriandrum Sativum, Apiaceae; May 2008
• Oregon State University; Plant Cilantro in Summer and Get Coriander Seeds; Carol Savonen