When and how to harvest cilantro for a sustainable crop

As an apartment dwelling cilantro-lover, I currently have 5 6" pots of cilantro growing in my windowsill. It's been about a month and I think they're growing well, even if they do have fairly weak stems and grow leaning toward the window. Just a hazard of growing in relatively low-light conditions.

So my question is, when should I harvest them, and how far to cut back, and how to most easily do it in the tangled state they are growing in?
Can I cut them back to the little baby leaves that came first, obviously without cutting said little leaves off?
I've read they sort of seed all on their own no matter how ruthlessly you cull them, so they'll just go to seed when they want and then self-sow, if all goes well?

I would like to keep these cilantro plants going through their generations and not have to buy new seed and re-sow. What's the best way to go about that and also keep my enchiladas yummy?

I wrote about this disgusting stuff in 2013, and said this: "Coriandrum sativum, the leaves of which are called cilantro and the ripened berries coriander, cannot be kept leafy and green by pruning it as with basil or mint. Slow-bolt cultivars have been bred, although when cilantro decides to go to seed, it goes to seed (bolts) whether you've harvested enough fresh leaves or not. On the other hand, leaves are ready to harvest as soon as 25 days after planting, so most cilantro-lovers advise planting cilantro in successive crops, spaced a few weeks apart, or simply letting it self-seed at will. Like its cousins, dill, parsley and carrot, cilantro grows a substantial, hard-to-transplant tap root, so it's best to transplant while very young. Unfortunately, cilantro is ready to harvest long before its natural pairings of tomatoes and hot peppers are ready to eat. Cilantro lovers find a way around that. Cultivars 'Santo', 'Slow-Bolt', 'Jantar', 'Calypso', 'Asia Choice', 'Glory TW', 'Slow-Bolt Winner', and 'Tang' may be slower to bolt than other varieties."



Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4224#ixzz3iEu6jjh1

cilantro growing tips - http://pinterest.com/pin/388294799097994374/?s=3&m=messaging

Some of us love cilantro, chuckl.
Not sure if the link will work,

Thanks, kittriana. I liked that article. Will repin to my own board about Gardening. I grow mine outside and just let the seeds fall to the ground. When the weather is right, it just comes up. That said, I think I will try this method in my greenhouse this winter.