Gishniz (Iranian Cilantro)

From our grower Sama:

"Gishniz means cilantro in Persian, and while cilantro is a food that is easily found in the US, this variety from Iran has its own particular flavor notes — and it’s delicious. I have tried to describe the flavor many times and come short. There’s something lemony and something nutty, and over and over I keep thinking: “This just smells like music.” 

I hope you enjoy the beautiful flowers of this delicious plant and try eating the green seeds before they dry. They are packed with flavor! And I hope you also save seeds to eat and plant :)"

Days to maturity: 70

Seeds per pack: 130

Germination rate: 98% on 03/19/2025

Planting / harvesting notes

I’m still undecided on if I prefer to start this plant in the greenhouse or in the field. I also recommend winter growing for this variety (if your climate allows), as it bolted very quickly. The fern-like foliage from the bolting plant was so delicate, fun to eat, and tasty, however, that I think it’s absolutely worth it to grow this plant. I’m hoping to test winter growing for this plant to see if it produces for longer.

Sow indoors or direct sow in the garden. Indoors, sow seeds 1/4" deep in moist potting soil 6-8 weeks before last frost. Direct sow 1/4" deep in the garden after last frost. Seedlings emerge in 14-21 days.

Seed keeping notes

Saving cilantro seed (aka coriander) is very satisfying and easy. Wait for the seed to develop on the plant, and once the seeds have lost all of their green and completely dry, crush the seed heads and catch the seeds in a bucket. If you can’t have them dry in the field (rain incoming or other factors), harvest the stems and dry them off the plant.

Different varieties of cilantro generally cross pollinate fairly easily within 1/2 mile of other flowering cilantro - consider isolating, caging, or bagging to prevent unwanted cross pollination between different varieties. Allow the spent cilantro flowers to ripen into plump green seeds, and then dry on the plant until the seeds have dried and turned brown.

 Harvest umbel by umbel, or take the entire flower stalk as all attached seeds are dry. Allow seed heads to dry out further in a protected place with good ventilation and low humidi