Coriander seeds

Coriander or cilantro has to be my favourite herb and it seems to grow so well in the garden. We have just stripped the remaining bushes of all the seeds - a most time-consuming occupation. Some will be used in cooking throughout the year and the rest will, hopefully, produce next year's plants. I like to pick the coriander and freeze it in small batches to use in curries but it is needed as fresh leaves in any kind of Mexican recipes. A handful thrown into a few chopped, ripe tomatoes with peppers, red onion and a slug of olive oil makes a simple salsa. Chopped avocado or mango makes a good addition and alternative.
My carrot and coriander soup always turns out to be rather green - an enthusiasm with the coriander. A simple soup. Gently fry aa chopped onion in a little olive oil, add some coarsely chopped carrots and a potato with a couple of pints of stock  - or water if that is all there is and cook until the potatoes are edible. Throw in a handful of chopped coriander ( or some from the freezer) and blend. I use the hand blender I used to blend baby food - it has survived well. Each time I use it I remember that electrical goods used to come without plugs as, for some reason that I have now forgotten, this blender has a vivid green plug. Sprinkle a little coriander on each bowl of soup before serving and a swirl of creme fraiche looks good.