It's time to kick off the 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 of our Second Spring series! And we're starting with an herb that can divide a dinner table faster than almost anything we've grown so far. 🌿 𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎. For some people: 😍 Fresh! 🍋 Citrusy! 🌮 Absolutely essential on tacos! For others: 🧼 "𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐀𝐏 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃?!" And here's the really interesting part... 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 🧬 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁...𝗖𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲? YES! Cilantro contains natural aroma compounds called aldehydes. Some of the same types of compounds are also associated with the scents we perceive in soaps and other products. Research suggests that genetics can influence how strongly we detect certain cilantro aromas. So while one person bites into cilantro and tastes something bright, fresh, and citrusy... Someone sitting beside them may genuinely experience something very different. In other words: If you've spent your entire life wondering why everyone keeps ruining perfectly good tacos with something that tastes like dish soap... Your taste buds may have an explanation. 😂 🌿 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻... Gardeners often tell me: "I planted cilantro and it was doing GREAT..." Then approximately five minutes later: 🌿 ➡️ 🌸 ➡️ 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒. Okay, maybe not five minutes. But sometimes it certainly feels that way. 😂 That's because cilantro really doesn't appreciate hot weather. When temperatures climb, cilantro quickly begins producing a flower stalk. That's called bolting. Once that happens, leaf production declines and the flavor can change. Which is why... 🍂 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍! 🌡️ 𝐂𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 Cool weather. As the intense heat of summer fades, cilantro becomes much easier to grow. Cooler temperatures help slow bolting and give us a longer window to harvest those flavorful leaves. That's why gardeners who struggled with cilantro in June or July may have a completely different experience growing it during their Second Spring.