Coriander (Cilantro) - Santo

Santo is a standard cilantro grown mainly for its leaves, though the flowers and seeds are edible too. It is a fast-growing, slow-bolting variety, which means it holds off on flowering longer than most cilantro and gives you more time to cut leaves. Plants reach 1 to 2 feet tall with broad, celery-like leaves that are deep green with notched edges. The stems are strong, which makes them good for bunching.

Cilantro, also called Chinese parsley, is a member of the carrot family and a common fresh herb. Santo has a pungent flavor that works well in Mexican, Caribbean, and Asian cooking. Add a sprig to chicken soup, or chop the leaves into salsa and other spicy dishes. The seeds, known as coriander, can be crushed and used as a spice in stews, beans, and cookies.

If you let Santo flower, the blooms bring in bees, hoverflies, and tachinid flies, which are beneficial insects for the garden. The flowers are edible as well. Use them raw, since the flavor fades when cooked, and sprinkle them on salads, bean dishes, chicken, or spicy Southwestern food. Their taste is a milder version of the leaves.

Santo grows best in cool weather and can be grown indoors for fresh leaves year-round. Its upright habit keeps the leaves clean and makes harvesting easier. As a cut-and-come-again crop, it can be picked several times through the season. This open-pollinated variety was bred by Alf Christenson.