Who grows it?

I just saw a video saying it's -kinda- like cilantro and grows in summer time so it's a must try for me. I have to hunt seeds as much as I use cilantro.

I never heard of it before today. Pinetree has this to say about it.

" Porophyllum ruderale

If you love cilantro, you have to try this unusual Mexican herb. Largely grown in Central and South America, it is also known as Papaloquelite. The flavor is similar to cilantro with a bit more punch coupled with a touch of mint and citrus. Very distinct. Thrives in hot conditions where cilantro would typically bolt or dwindle. Grows 3’ - 5’. Use raw and add to salsa, beans, and salads. Germination naturally runs around 40-50 percent."

https://www.superseeds.com/products/papalo

Sounds like a great culinary herb. You might also like the sound of pipicha (Porophyllum linaria). I haven't tasted it, but it sounds good to me.

I recently ordered some from Pinetree and was just going to inquire about it here when I saw this thread. I don't believe I have seen it listed before. I think I'll start some right away in a pot when it comes and see what Papalo is like. Plan was to seed most in the ground in a couple months.

I have grown this a couple of times. It is a great substitute for cilantro. It can get fairly tall and has a round leaf. Another great cilantro substitute is Vietnamese Coriander which has a spreading habit but must be grown from cuttings. Finding a good source is a challenge. Forgot my source but will post link when I find it. Meanwhile Papalo is not that hard to start from seed.
You can find plants for the Vietnamese Coriander at https://thegrowers-exchange.com
An even better source for the Vietnamese Coriander is
https://www.colonialcreekfarm.com/searc ... &search=GO

Cilantro is a winter crop here and I'm looking for an alternative that will grow in the summer heat.
I read Papalo and Pipicha are similar but stronger flavor so thought I'd give 'em a try.

I should add that when growing out papalo I start the seeds indoors. I do not know how they do when direct sown.

I was surprised to see four of my papalo seeds up and growing in only 3 days! I think I seeded 10-12 total as a test. They were at room temperature, about 70F, but probably heated up well in the sunny window. I expected the seeds to be round like cilantro's, but it's obviously not related, because the seeds look more like a wispier marigold seed -- long and narrow with a tuft at one end. I poked a hole with a pencil point in the soil and planted them as spears going down, with bit of the tuft exposed.

ddsack wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:21 am I was surprised to see four of my papalo seeds up and growing in only 3 days! I think I seeded 10-12 total as a test. They were at room temperature, about 70F, but probably heated up well in the sunny window. I expected the seeds to be round like cilantro's, but it's obviously not related, because the seeds look more like a wispier marigold seed -- long and narrow with a tuft at one end. I poked a hole with a pencil point in the soil and planted them as spears going down, with bit of the tuft exposed.

Me too, 2 of mine came up this morning and looks like one more on the way. I'm going to grow Papalo in a container so didn't plant many seeds.
Some of the basil is coming up too.
Pipicha seeds look similar but smaller (I thought they resembled marigold seeds too).

Papalo caught my interest in the Pinetree Garden Seeds catalog so I bought some. (I haven't received them yet so they'll get a late start.) I was just now Googling for more information on this new-to-me plant and found a blog post with recipes using papalo. I find it helpful to get an idea of how much to use in proportion to the rest of the ingredients especially since I've read that the flavor is much stronger than cilantro.

Anyway, I thought you all might like these recipe ideas, too. (I don't know this blogger. Just found the page while Googling.)

http://www.appalachianfeet.com/2010/05/ ... tyPhoto/1/

Well, I absolutely LOVE cilantro. Papalo is no cilantro. I can see where some might say there is a very slightly similar taste, I did make myself taste it -- but it has an icky (I don't know how else to describe it) smell to me when I move the pots around and brush against it. It lingers and almost makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe if it was cooked it might lose whatever smell component is offensive to me, but I'm not going to try it, and sure won't spoil my fresh salsa with it!
I know there are people who can't stand cilantro, and I've never been able to understand that, but now that I've tried papalo, I do! I have three lovely potted plants that I need to get rid of.

I think I’ll let a few more folks weigh in on the taste before I order seeds. I’m looking for something I can grow in warm weather to add fresh to salads (besides basil and fennel). I love cilantro but it’s on its way out now as is the arugula and dill.

I think our smell and taste buds are a very individual thing, and I don't want anyone to take my word for it. Just my opinion after looking for Papalo articles and seeing only so many positive ones. Sounds like it is widely used in South America, so obviously others must like it. It's impossible to describe what I smell, the closest I can come is a vaguely lime smell with an undercurrent of raw meat.

Oh what a shame ddsack! I absolutely ADORE Cilantro too. In fact I make whole salads out of Cilantro (no lettuce needed). Guess you just cannot beat the real thing. I plan to succession plant Cilantro this season!

Linda

I also can't stand papalo - I tried it once, and there's something in it that which has an off flavor, like that "soapy" flavor some people get with cilantro.

The closest thing that I've found to cilantro is culantro, but I haven't been able to grow it well from seed. Anyone have experience with this?

For those who don’t like the taste of papalo do consider ordering Vietnamese Coriander from colonialcreekfarm.com which I mentioned above.
I just received 4 small containers of well developed VC and can see it will get nice and big. The one review on the site is spot on. Makes an excellent substitute for regular cilantro when that goes to seed. I just checked and they still seem to have some in stock. Volume of orders is high in general so they say there may be some delay in shipping. Packing is excellent.

[mention]Gardadore[/mention] I may have to try that ... they say

"Unlike regular cilantro, Vietnamese Coriander enjoys hot and humid weather and can easily be grown all summer long. Low growing vining-like plant is at home in containers, hanging baskets, or in the herb garden. Does require adequate water. Warm climate perennial zones 11+ can be grown indoors with good light. "

That sounds very promising !!! I ordered both a culantro and a Vietnamese Coriander plant. Now to find my cilantro seeds and get them planted.

I have grown Vietnamese coriander - Rao Ram - and it's easy to grow, but it will get rootbound in even large pots, so I don't try that anymore. It does root easily, and I usually buy some at the Asian market, along with a number of their other herbs, and root them in my cloner. I would grow rao ram indoors, but, unfortunately, it is a spider mite magnet.

I have heard it is easy to root so need to try that. Buying it new every summer gets expensive because of the shipping although I can always find other interesting herbs to add to the order. Have not tried culantro so may add that next time. Meanwhile my regular cilantro reseeded itself big time so I am really enjoying that bounty till I have to switch to the Vietnamese Coriander.
ddsack, I hope you find the culantro and VC both taste good to you!

I ended up planting two of my papalo seedlings and giving the rest away. I tasted some a few weeks ago and it was very strong, which I expected, and I didn't care for the flavor but was willing to try it diluted with tomatoes, peppers and onions.

Tonight I harvested some, intending to use it in some pico de gallo. I brought just two leaves inside and it smells so strong that it's turning my stomach. It kind of reminds me of tea tree oil. I can see how you'd only want to use a tiny amount but just these two leaves is so strong that I can't stomach eating it and tossed them back outside. Wow!

What's your impression of it?