I’m really pleased with the hoop house this season. We got the plastic up later than we intended this fall, but a lot of work on the bracing structure reduced the ‘thwapping’ in the wind. Reducing the air exchange also helped with the warmth overnight. I diligently packing-taped any hole and we added two more 55 gallon barrels full of water for a total of four to increase thermal mass. The plants are loving it!!
I love fresh cilantro. Lately I’ve been eating guacamole almost every day and I like to make it pretty salad-y with cilantro and green onions from the hoop house. But, I know the happy cilantro plants will be less and less happy as it gets hotter in there. So, to preserve the fresh taste, I severely trimmed the cilantro leaves and tender stems and stuck it in the food processor with some water. Then, I froze it in I’ve cube trays. This morning for the guacamole, I used one ice cube of cilantro, adding a tiny bit of the boiling water from making tea to thaw it quickly. In a cooked Thai dish you could just throw the ice cube in there.
Dried cilantro just isn’t the same, and this method keeps the flavor nicely. Hopefully I’ll get one more crop of cilantro before its too warm.
stigmastylepistil 