Cilantro, like parsley, isn't optimum for drying because it does lose so much of the characteristic smell, flavor, and "freshness". Most prefer to use the seeds, coriander, to get that flavor in dried form. That said, if you try it and like it, then there is no reason not to use it. Personally, I use some dried in a salsa grinder blend.

As with all dried herbs--airtight and in the dark for storage. Cilantro can also be frozen, but is best to blanch it first to retain color best. Personally, I've had the best luck with freezing cilantro pesto, but I tended to forget to use it and like coriander.

Ah, thanks very much. A friend of our gave us a huge bag of coriander, and while I understood it to be the seeds from cilantro, I never understood how to use it.

We also make lots of (basil) pesto and freeze that, as well as a salsa for tacos, so perhaps we'll try to freeze that as well.

Coriander seeds need to be ground before use. I prefer to do it as needed using a small mortar and pestle--they are pretty easy. Cilantro pesto would work well with tacos, etc.

Flora--thanks for the catch. Yes, especially in soups (or making corned beef) where there is plenty of time and moisture to draw out flavor. My head was thinking along the lines of when I add coriander to salsa, guacamole, or sauces.

I do not find coriander to be one of the easier spices to grind - if you don't want bits of sharp hard shell in your food, at least.

I put it through a 2 or 3 step grinding process. Roast the seeds first of course. Then grind once in your coffee/spice grinder. Sift. Put the coarse stuff back into the grinder and hit it again. If that's good enough for you, stop there. If it is still to gritty for you, sift again and hit the grinder one more time. I've never needed to go back for a fourth round.

I'm not sure why, but just leaving it all in the grinder and grinding it for longer just doesn't work as well as sifting the coarse stuff out and regrinding that by itself.

I keep the ground spice in a tiny lock 'n lock container. It seems to do a better job of keeping it fresh - the flavoring in coriander is due to some very very volatile substances. Preground is worthless dust, IMO.

I make chimichurri out of extra cilantro, then toss it in the freezer. Because of the olive oil, I find that, just like pesto, it never freezes hard enough that I can't scoop out what I need. You could also try freezing it in ice cube forms and just pop out what you need. It makes a great marinade for fish, chicken, or beef.