How to Cut the Cilantro Herb

Cilantro gives you two herbs for the price of one. In its young, leafy form, this pungent herb is called cilantro or Chinese parsley. Its seeds are called coriander and may be ground into a powder. Cilantro grows quickly and begins to send up a flower stalk with the onset of warm summer temperatures. If you're growing it for its seeds, or coriander, that works well. But if you want your fresh cilantro to complement salsa you make from your own tomato crop, you'll want to extend the leafy stage as long as possible.

Scissors or clippers

Instructions

- 1
  Pinch or snip off individual leaves every week, as you need them for recipes, salads and garnishes. Find where the leaf attaches to the plant's main stem and cut it as close to the stem as possible without nicking the stem.
- 2
  Examine your cilantro plant for the early formation of a flower spike from the center of the plant. The leaves change appearance slightly when they grow on a flower spike, but they are still edible.
- 3
  Cut flower spikes to their base in the center of the plant. Use this plant material in the same ways you used the early leaves. The flavor may be slightly different than the younger leaves, so taste it before adding to your dish to make sure you like it.
- 4
  Chop leaves and stems, and any flower buds, from the spikes with a sharp paring knife to prepare them for any recipe for which you might need them. Chop them finely or in larger pieces, depending on the recipe. Maintain whole leaves for garnishes.

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