Home Farm Herbery

A Little History of Coriander ©

Every year at Home Farm Herbery we plant a new annual crop of Cilantro in order to get our coriander seeds from which we either sell the seeds whole or grind them into coriander powder.  

The seed of the cilantro plant is known as coriander. Although cilantro and coriander come from the same plant, their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other.  Coriander is the dried, ripe fruit of the herb Coriandum sativum. The tannish-brown seeds have a sweetly aromatic flavor which is slightly lemony. A zesty combination of sage and citrus, coriander is actually thought to increase the appetite.

Not a lot of people in the USA cook with coriander and Cilantro is used in many Mexican dishes especially salsa.  Coriander is used in lentils, beans, onions, potatoes, hotdogs, chili, sausages, stews and pastries.

According to Wikipedia Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also known as cilantro, Chinese parsley or dhania, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems. The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer (5–6 mm) than those pointing towards it (only 1–3 mm long). The fruit is a globular, dry schizocarp 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) in diameter.

Most coriander is produced in Morocco, Romania and Egypt, but China and India also offer limited supplies. Moroccan coriander has the boldest appearance, followed by the Egyptian and Indian varieties. Romanian and Chinese coriander is typically darker in appearance than other types.

Many people do not know that all parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. Coriander is common in South Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mediterranean, Indian, Tex-Mex, Latin American, Portuguese, Chinese, African, and Scandinavian cuisine as well as in spice blends including curry powders, chili powders, garam masala, and berbere. (You can find all of these at our Local Harvest store

Coriander's has a long history and it can be traced back for thousands of years. Folklore says it was grown in Persia 3,000 years ago and used to fragrance the hanging gardens of Babylon. There is mention of coriander in the Bible where manna is described as being "like a coriander seed, white" (Exodus 16:31). As civilization spread, so did the popularity and uses of coriander. It has been used as a condiment and as an ingredient in medicines. It is still widely used in tonics and cough medicines in India. The leaves of the plant, cilantro, are also a popular flavoring in many Indian, Latin American, and Southeast Asian dishes.Though used in North American cooking many cooks in this country do not think culinary herbs are not high in many cooks pantry. However, I also think that over the past 10 years and especially with all the cooking channels that is changing.

Planting some Cilantro is really easy and you can have a small kitchen garden near your back door in the event you have the room to do so.  Even a 4 foot by 4 foot raised bed will give you room for several different herbs.  For those who have no room then consider small pots of herbs and especially Cilantro.  For those who cook, but have no desire to garden then you can simply go to LocalHarvest.org, search up Home Farm Herbery, click on it and then search Cilantro and you will get a bunch of stuff on it since we sell all the culinary cilantro and coriander one would want included a limited amount of seeds. http://www.localharvest.org/coriander-seed-C23730 

However, what would one cook with coriander?  Why not try this Coriander, Barley, Leek Soup

I think you might enjoy the exotic flavors that add pungency and depth to this hearty soup which is delicious all year round but especially on a cold wintery day.

This recipe makes 10 servings, the prep time is 15 minutes and the cooking time is 1 hr & 45 min.  Complete time is 2 hrs.

Ingredients: 3 c water

1 c uncooked pearl barley

2 tbsp olive oil

2 med. onions, chopped

1 bunch leeks, chopped

1 1/4 lbs ground turkey or chicken

2 ½ qts. Chicken stock

1 ½ c Chinese rice wine

2 ½ tbsp ground coriander

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring the 3 cups water to a boil. Stir in the barley. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onions and leeks until tender. Mix in the chicken, and cook until heated through. Pour the chicken stock into the pot, and stir in the cooked barley. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Mix the rice wine into the soup, and season with coriander. Continue cooking about 10 minutes.

Season with pepper to serve.

You can get Home Farm Herbery Coriander seeds at

http://www.localharvest.org/coriander-seed-C23730

or ground coriander at

http://www.localharvest.org/coriander-crushed-powder-C23809

Or Cilantro slow bolt seeds at

http://www.localharvest.org/cilantro-coriander-slow-bolt-seeds-C24593

Buy today!

How to make Pumpkin and Carrot Powder©

By Arlene Wright- Correll

If you own a dehydrator it is not very hard to make your own pumpkin powder which is used to add flavor and nutrients to many dishes, such as pancakes or instant pumpkin puree for pies and other dishes simply by adding water.  I like the fact that by making my own pumpkin powder, I can use my own fresh ingredients year round and save money. 

It is moderately easy to make pumpkin powder and you must use a pumpkin that is in ideal harvesting condition in order to have flavorful powder.

Once you have chosen your pumpkin you must wash and dry the outside of a pumpkin. You can use a large pumpkin or several smaller pumpkins when you want a large batch of pumpkin powder.  I like using the pie pumpkins and I avoid using the Jack-O-lantern pumpkins or decorative pumpkins even though you can.  I suggest Sugar Pie pumpkins; red Kuri, Pink Banana and Cinderella pumpkins just to name a few.

Now cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and set them aside and then cut out the stem and blossom end and cut the pumpkin into narrow pieces that are 2 inches long.

Next I steam the pumpkin slices by setting them on a steaming tray over simmering water and I cook them with a lid on until they start to soften. I stop the cooking and let them cool enough so I can easily handle them.

The next step is to set the slices on my dehydrator tray.  If you do not have a dehydrator you can place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet the oven with the heat set at "low" or "warm." and dehydrate until all the moisture has been removed. Since this takes several hours it will tie up your oven depending on how much pumpkin you have so I recommend a dehydrator. A good dehydrator is fairly inexpensive and usually costs $25.00 to $35.00 and can be found on such places as Amazon.  If you are using your oven you need to check the pumpkin periodically.  Using a dehydrator just set the timer to the desired time as per your instruction book.  A dehydrator pays for itself in no time and I personally feel that as the economy and the world changes having a dehydrator is a great investment in learning how to survive hard times.

Once the pumpkin is totally dehydrated you must grind the dried pumpkin into a powder using a food processor.  I know one gal who uses a coffee grinder and when I was in Mexico I saw a woman using a mortar and pestle which took a lot of muscle and hard work.

Once your pumpkin is ground store the powder in a jar or container with a tight seal and keeps it in a cool dry location.

To reconstitute pumpkin powder use 1 part powder to 2.5 parts water.

You can do the same thing with most vegetables and I like to do carrots the same way.  I like to make sure my carrots are not woody.  I remove stalks and tips  and then wash carrots, scrape off the skins and then slice to about 56 mm thick using stainless steel knife.

Next I blanch the slices for 3 minutes in hot water containing 1.5 ounces of salt per gallon. Then cool immediately in running water.  I have never had to worry about the carrots browning, but if you wanted to prevent browning and discoloration you can dip them in 0.1 percent sodium erythorbate.

Now I spread the carrots evenly on my dehydrator trays. I have a friend who dries her carrots in her solar dryer and another who uses her oven at temperature of 150º F. Dry until the temperature is down to 6%. Cool and then pulverize in a blender or electric grinder.

I use carrot powder by adding to flour mixes when I make carrot cake or add to stews or soups when I want a carrot flavored base thickening.  You can reconstitute carrot powder using 1 part carrot powder with 4 parts water.

Powders are an easy way to have emergency rations, take up less space and for me reduce space in my freezer or eliminate canning while preserving more of the flavor.

I like the fact that dehydration goes on without taking up all my time and it allows me to do a lot of other things while my dehydrator is doing its thing.