Oh how funny, I am overflowing with parsley and was just going to ask Peppi how she dried the parsley she gave us. Hers was so bright green, I used every bit of it.

I have tried drying herbs hanging upside sown as you describe, Karen. It takes a while and I found they lost a lot of flavor with that method.

What I do now is lay them in a layer on a plate and microwave them for 20-30 seconds, toss them a bit and 20-30 seconds more, etc. Usually they are dry in 2-4 zaps, and they seem to maintain their color better as well.

Lucky you to have an abundance of cilantro, I can't even get the stuff to grow!

Good luck!

Linda

I grow Chinese celery which is top heavy with leaves. I dry the leaves spread out on a pan in a 200 degree oven. The time to completely dry it varies. I don't know if this would work with cilantro. I would think it would work well for chives chopped in 1/8" pieces.

I have tried Penzeys dried cilantro. As a comparison think of the difference between dried basil and fresh. Two completely different items - at least in my opinion.

I had some cilantro left over so I made cilantro pesto. I froze that and use a little at a time. It has great flavor. I used it for a fajita dinner, with grilled chicken, rice, corn, salsa etc.

The recipe is:
1 bunch cilantro
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne or other chili
salt to taste

Blend everything together in a food processor or blender. 5 cloves of garlic is pretty garlicky. You may want to start with a smaller amount if this isn't to your taste.

The original recipe was for a more traditional pesto, with the addition of 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Serve over pasta. I haven't tried this, but a very popular Italian restaurant serves this in winter when fresh basil is hard to find.

Cheryl

The pesto is a good idea. I've never tried it with cilantro but do it with basil all the time. I'll have to remember to try cilantro pesto next summer!

Another way I preserve fresh herbs is to pack fresh herbs into ice cube trays and then fill with water and freeze.

When ready to use, just pop a cube into your soup, stew, or whatever. Preserves the fresh herb flavor best of any method I've tried.

Linda

Both chives and cilantro taste like lawnmower clippings when dried. Blech!

So I make chive butter, rolled into a log and popped into the freezer. Perfect for baked or mashed potatoes. Or on top of a steak or fish. You can also add some minced shallots.

Cilantro I just toss into a zip bag and freeze. Squeeze the air out of the bag and it is less bulky in my over-stuffed freezer. Basil is also frozen this way.

Parsley is dried in a dehydrator and then kept in the dark or the color will fade out. The micro method works too, or you can put a cookie sheet in the oven and dry them. Same for thyme, rosemary. (But I do bring the pot into the house for winter and can cut fresh. It sits in my living room.)

Karen, dig up some chives, root and all, pot it up and bring it indoors. If they start to get lanky and floppy, shake the pot or put a fan on them to strenghten them. Now next season, you will have triple the amount in the ground to give to neighbors. In about 3 years, they will run and hide when you come by!

I think 200 degrees are to high. I have a dehydrator, and dry my herbs at 125 overnight.

Chives dry GREAT that way. Never did Cilantro. Don't like it at all. :)

Moni

Wow! Thanks everyone!

Cathy, I think I used my Parsley, that was gifted to us by Peppi, in a month! Sure was good!

Linda, Great suggestion! I'm thinking my babies may like to help me with this!

I have tried the microwave method..yuck! It must have something to do with the humidity where I live. I have made so much pesto that an entire drawer of the freezer is full. I'm happy to have it just tired of it and want something that tastes fresh!

Ahh, my friend Peppi. Butter rolled in herbs! You're a girl after my heart! I'll do a couple of rolls and think of you when I visit my cardiologist ;-) It's a great idea.

I'm gonna try all these methods and report back in a few weeks. Meanwhile I'm eating my fresh homemade salsa with a spoon.

Thanks everyone!

Whenever I have leftover fresh cilantro I chop it finely and spread the bits onto a sheet of baking paper which I put on top of a cutting board to keep the cilantro bits from sliding around. Then I pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes or so and then shake the frozen cilantro into a zipper bag and store it frozen.

The same method can be applied to chives and other herbs.

I do but I have an aga.I spread them out on cookie sheets.I put them on top till I got them where I want also in summer when things get crazy, I freeze both then all I do is get it out when needed.

Netla's idea for the cilantro sounds the best to me. I have never liked dried cilantro, but I've had decent luck with it frozen, although I froze it whole in food saver bags with all the air removed. You can also make chimichurri with it and freeze that - that makes a great marinade. If you make other marinades with cilantro, you can freeze it in those as well - just make sure they are labelled clearly if you make several.

Lars