Replanting, Killing Grass, and Cilantro

Time to pull some stuff up and replant

Time to pull up some old lettuce and replant some veggies that aren't really coming up. All this wet and slugs has put quite a damper on some of the veggie plants! So anyway, here's a photo of a spot that was where my 1st and 2nd planting of lettuce was. Now it's a 3rd planting of carrots, another try at spinach, and some more parsley. This is my 4th try at spinach! You can see my 3rd try to the left of the carrot row.


Here's another replanting. I pulled out a ton of chervil and now replanted some more lettuce, basil, cilantro, and radishes. You can see some old chervil in the foreground. It's gone to seed. Don't want to take it all out because it'll self sow and come back up next year!

How to kill grass

The only time I use plastic is to kill off large areas of grass to begin a new garden spot. Works like a charm and no chemicals needed. Just cover the spot at the beginning of summer. Leave the black plastic on through the summer, fall, and winter. Then remove the plastic, save it for another spot, turn the area where there use to be grass over in the spring and it's gorgeous soil!! And no need to deal with sod clumps because they are so decomposed that they just turn into the soil. The best! I can see the edges of the plastic need to be pulled again. That happens.

Now, on to cilantro, which is also coriander. Yes, cilantro and coriander are the same plant. I've read that the leaves are referred to as cilantro and the seed is referred to as coriander. But to be honest I wouldn't bet my last dime on that distinction. My daughter and I love cilantro. My husband and son hate it. I wonder if it's a gender thing. Any guys out there who love cilantro? From what I can gather you either love it or hate it. So take that in mind when growing and using cilantro. I tend to serve it on the side. I love it in salsa and guacamole. Every once in a while, usually when I'm cooking Thai food I'll slip some in to the cooking dish. But I'm usually busted as the guys can usually tell. I keep hoping they'll get use to it and like it. I don't know if that's going to happen.

Cilantro is really easy to grow. Just throw some seeds in well prepared soil and it just grows! Like magic :) It's an annual. Plant some seed every few weeks so you have a steady supply. I use cilantro in Mexican and Thai food. But here's a recipe for cilantro that came out of the MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) newsletter and was written by Roberta Bailey:

Cilantro Puree and/or Cilantro Pesto -
(for freezing)
**This will be good to add to homemade salsa once the tomatoes start to ripen!

In a food processor process 2 cups of cilantro leaves, 1-2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 - 1/2 Cups extra virgin olive oil. Puree and then freeze in small amounts.

To make this into a pesto just add to the above puree more garlic (another clove or 2) a Tbsp of fresh lime juice, 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 Cups walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts......This pesto can be served over toasted bread chips or pasta, or even add to fajitas. The recipe says it can be frozen but if you freeze the pesto leave the cheese out and add when using.

Coming next.....new potatoes and thinning alliums - yummmmmmmm!