In a recent post, I featured one of my favourite herbs, Vietnamese coriander. Judging by the social media response, it seems that a lot of gardeners love Vietnamese coriander as much as I do! Therefore, in case you were looking for more herb garden ideas, I thought I’d pass along another easy-to-grow, cilantro-like herb; papalo.
Papalo is an attractive plant, growing up to three-feet tall with gently scalloped, blue-green leaves. It makes a great pot plant, but I like to tuck it in my raised beds with other edibles. I sourced my seed from Johnny’s Seeds, and sowed the seed indoors in early April. As a Mexican herb, it’s sensitive to cold weather, so don’t move it to the garden until after the last spring frost.
Related post: Fertilizer for herb gardens
Related post: Growing basil
Papalo has a strong cilantro-like flavour, but a little goes a long way. If you’re adding it to tacos, salsa, and other dishes that benefit from a cilantro flavour, start with a few chopped leaves, adding more as needed. My favourite way to use it is in roasted tomatillo & jalapeno salsa, substituting it for the cilantro (just use half the suggestion amount of papalo for the cilantro). It’s very easy to make and so good to eat!
