My coriander experiment.

Don't you hate it when the recipe you're making only requires half the bunch of coriander you bought from, in my case, Woolieworths?  I diligently wrap the remainder and place it carefully in the crisper drawer of the fridge.  Don't we all?

Then, in a few weeks' time, I find a green slimy mass pretending to have once been coriander lurking at the bottom of said crisper drawer.  Shame and guilt reign supreme.  How could I have let this happen?  How could I be so wasteful?  How could my fridge conceal such an atrocity!

Well, it happened again and I got to pondering ...

Friends had chopped the tops off slimy spring onions, planted the slimy roots and, within a short period of time, new, fresh, un-slimy growth had appeared!  They now have an on-going supply of non-slimy spring onions.  Chop off the tops, leave the roots in the soil and a never ending, garden-fresh supply of spring onions sprouts forth.  Think of the millions to be saved!  Think of the overseas holidays to be had on the savings!  Well ... maybe not.

So, I thought, why could I not try this with my slimy coriander?  Might I never have to buy coriander again?

And I did.  I chopped off the unidentifiable green slimy mass above what I hoped were coriander roots, planted them in a not-very-attractive pot, gave them a little drink and a little fertiliser, placed it in a semi-shaded spot and waited ...

Week 1.

Slowly, lovely, little green leaves started to emerge.  There was hope.  Maybe this would work.  Overseas holiday, here I come!

A few green non-slimy coriander leaves .

I was growing non-slimy coriander!  Isn't nature the most totally amazing thing!

But I still has a while to wait before I could begin to harvest. I spoke to MLP about where we might house the international back packers come harvest time.  He produced a little smile and continued playing iPhone games.

I went so far as to buy my coriander its own name tag so it didn't forget its origins and to assist MLP when sent forth from the kitchen to harvest coriander for the ensuing night's dinner.  I also felt the name tag would provide a little positive reinforcement (Don't we all need that?) for its growth efforts thus far. And, it worked.  Growth continued, slowly I must admit, but regardless, my experiment was working.

And, now for the final update ...

Almost back-packer-ready coriander.

I admit, growth to this stage takes a while, so if you need coriander in between, you'll need to head of to Woolieworths.  I had to, but, guess what, I've now got more coriander roots to plant!  I'll have an on-going supply until the weather heats up and it bolts.  Coriander does that.  But let its little seeds fall where you want and come the cooler weather tiny coriander heads will rise out of the ground to begin the cycle again.  Isn't nature wonderful!  Woolieworths' profit levels may suffer but we'll have organically grown coriander constantly on hand.

Are you prepared to give it a go?  Is there something green and slimy lurking in your crisper drawer which could produce green, vibrant life?

Thanks for reading my blog. Please add a comment below for me to read.