The plants were known to have been grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and their medicinal use was recorded on the medical papyrus of Thebes about 1550 BC.

Seeds have also been found in Egyptian tombs; the Romans too found a use for them in the preservation of meat. As a medicinal herb the unripened fruit was used to treat scrofula and St Anthony's fire, though too much was said to cause a distressed or troubled mind.

In the Middle Ages ripened fruit encrusted with sugar or honey were used as comfits to sweeten the breath, aid indigestion and used as a vermifuge.

Nowadays coriander is a a major flavouring for pickles, curries and chutney. The fresh green leaves have a strong flavor (unpleasant to some) which combines best with spicy Thai dishes. Dried leaves may also be used in potpourri.

You will find the guests coming back for more when you serve deviled chestnuts at your next party. Soak some large chestnuts in very hot water until you can remove both the inner and outer skin without breaking them up.

Put the kernels into a pan cover them with a little milk to which to have added a little salt and stew until they are soft enough to pierce with a skewer. Remove from the pan and brush each nut with vegetable oil. Roll them in a mixture of finely grated cheese, paper and cayenne, firming well. Brush with oil again then roll in some fried breadcrumbs, brown in the oven and serve very hot.

Imperial mandarins are one of the first to ripen - starting in late autumn. They are easy to peel with few seeds. Like other citrus, mandarins are heavy feeders and require lots of nutrients to support foliage. flowers and developing fruit. Sometimes mandarins will produce fruit every second year (biennial or alternate bearing). You can minimise the process by removing some of the small green fruit, reducing the drain on the tree's energy. Imperial, Emperor and Honey Murcott will continue to provide a harvest from late autumn to early spring.