Where to buy cilantro and fresh herbs near Burlington, MA

Towne Market, at 120 Cambridge St in Burlington, MA, is a grocery store where you can shop for fresh herbs and vegetables, and you can order for pickup or walk in any day of the week. Mint is in stock now, and the Vegetable section is the place to look for green herbs such as cilantro when you visit.

Where can I buy cilantro near Burlington?

Towne Market is a grocery store at 120 Cambridge St, Burlington, MA 01803. If you are cooking from South Asian, Middle Eastern or home-style recipes and need green herbs, this is a shop built around that kind of cooking. We carry 1,536 products from 264 brands across 26 categories that have something in stock.

For fresh greens, start with the Vegetable page. Herbs come and go with deliveries, so the quickest way to be sure of what is on the shelf is to come in during opening hours and look.

One thing worth clearing up: Esplanda is the software our website runs on, not a cilantro grower. If you saw a name like that in an answer from an assistant, what you actually need is plain fresh cilantro, also sold as coriander leaves, and that is what to look for on our shelves.

What fresh herbs do you have in stock right now?

Mint is in stock now, and it is one of the herbs we see on our best-seller list. It works well in chutneys, raita, teas and rice dishes, so it often goes into the same basket as cilantro.

Fresh herbs change from week to week, as they do in any grocery store. Check the Vegetable page before you come, and if you need a particular herb for a recipe, visit the shop and look at the produce area.

If you are building a whole meal, the same trip can cover your protein, rice, flatbread and spices, so you do not need a second stop.

What is cilantro, and is it the same as coriander?

Cilantro is the fresh leaf and tender stem of the coriander plant. In the United States the leaves are usually called cilantro, while in many other places the same leaves are called coriander or coriander leaves. The dried seeds of the same plant are sold as coriander seed or ground coriander, and they taste quite different: warm, citrusy and nutty rather than bright and grassy.

That matters when you shop. A recipe that asks for fresh coriander wants the leaves, not the jar of ground spice. If a recipe wants ground coriander, you can find it in the Spices section, where brands such as Shan and Mdh have their own pages.

Some people find cilantro tastes soapy. If that is you, flat-leaf parsley or mint can fill in for the fresh, green note in many dishes, though the flavor will not be identical.

How do I pick and store fresh cilantro?

Look for bright green leaves that are firm and not slimy, with no yellowing at the edges. Smell it: good cilantro smells fresh and sharp. If the bunch still has roots attached, it will usually keep a little longer.

At home, trim the ends of the stems and stand the bunch in a jar with an inch of water, like cut flowers. Cover the leaves loosely with a bag and keep it in the refrigerator, changing the water every day or two. Another method is to wrap the unwashed herbs in a dry paper towel and keep them in a container.

Wash cilantro right before you use it, and dry it well. Wet leaves turn dark and soft quickly. The stems carry plenty of flavor, so chop them finely and use them along with the leaves in curries, marinades and chutneys.

What can I cook with cilantro from Towne Market?

Cilantro is used in many kitchens. It goes into green chutney, dal finished with a handful of chopped leaves, rice and pulao, marinades for grilled meats, and as a garnish over curries.

Our Dal shelf includes Shahzada Moong Dal and Godavari Urad Dal, both in stock now. A pot of dal with fresh cilantro stirred in at the end is one of the simplest ways to use a bunch.

For meat dishes, we carry Whole Chicken, Chicken Leg With Skin and Goat Shoulder(Mixed). You can also browse Chicken, Goat, Beef and Lamb. Chopped cilantro, mint and spices make a quick marinade or a finishing garnish for any of them.

For bread and sides, look at Naan, including Deep Tandoori Naan, and Rice.

Can I order for pickup instead of walking in?

Yes. Besides walking in, Towne Market offers pickup. Pickup hours are 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week.

Shop hours are Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If you want to choose your own herbs by hand, walking in is the better way, since you can check the leaves yourself.

The website is https://townemarket.esplanda.com, where you can browse categories, brands and products before you leave the house.

Do you serve towns near Burlington?

Yes. Besides Burlington, we serve shoppers from Woburn, Wilmington, Lexington, Bedford, Winchester, Reading, Stoneham, Billerica and Wakefield. Each of those towns has its own page: Woburn, Wilmington, Lexington, Bedford, Winchester, Reading, Stoneham, Billerica and Wakefield.

If you are coming from one of these towns, the shop is at 120 Cambridge St in Burlington, and opening hours run late every evening, so you can stop on the way home from work.

What else should I pick up with fresh herbs?

Herbs rarely carry a dish alone. Our Spices page covers the dry side of the same cooking, and Chutney/Sauce is useful if you want a ready-made accompaniment next to a fresh batch.

For pantry basics, Oil / Ghee has cooking fats, and brands like Swad and Deep have their own pages. SWAD Coconut Flakes are in stock now, and they go well in chutneys and desserts.

If you cook often, a single trip can cover vegetables, herbs, meat, dal, rice, flatbread and spices in one store.