Nothing beats coriander leaves for salads or for garnishing a finished dish. They are available all year, but they are cheapest in winter, when they are grown. You can also grow them in a pot on your balcony. Coriander leaves contain calcium, iron and carotene. The advantage of growing them in a pot is that they can be grown almost all 12 months of the year.

You can even grow coriander without soil or sand, producing as much as your family needs for cooking at home. You will no longer have to rush to the market when you suddenly need some.

• Buy whole coriander seed from a grocery shop. Coriander seed is also sold at plant nurseries.
• Crush the seeds lightly with a mortar and pestle.
• Put water in a pot or pan with high sides and place a mesh basket on top of it.
• Scatter the seeds over it from above. Make sure the seeds do not dry out. If you cannot keep an eye on them all the time, cover them with a damp cotton cloth.
• Keep it in sunlight. After eight to ten days you will see seedlings emerge, and in 20-25 days it will be full of coriander leaves.
• To care for the plants you can use liquid compost made from your kitchen waste. Do not forget to change the water every 15 days.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.