'Feral Mix' Cilantro

Coriandrum sativum

Origin: Falmouth, Maine

Improvement status: Breeding population

Seeds per packet: ~60

Germination tested 12/2022: 46% (Below standard. However, we believe more of this seed would germinate under better outdoor conditions or in potting soil)

Life cycle: Annual

This is a fun mix of at least three cilantro (or coriander) varieties naturalized at Aaron Parker's Edgewood Nursery in Falmouth, Maine. He started it at least ten years ago with two varieties whose names he no longer recalls. More recently the cultivar 'Caribe' — a thin-stemmed, bolt-resistant, dark-green and aromatic variety — has been added to the population. Given Aaron's location, this variety likely has some cold tolerance.

Cilantro is the love-it-or-loath-it fresh greens of this plant, while "coriander seed" is the delicious (and completely different flavored) spice made from the dried ripe fruit of the plant (a round ball that's technically two seeds fused together in a single husk!). Nate likes to use coriander seed in practically everything — scrambled eggs, bread, desserts, etc — while he only likes fresh cilantro in two dishes (a Moroccan-Jewish fish dish made by his cousin-in-law, and the crab dumplings at the French-inspired Chinese restaurant Cin Cin in northwest Philadelphia).

GROWING TIPS: Succession sow for cilantro all season long!