It is harvested for its frond-like leaves and flavor-packed dill seeds. When used in soups or stews, it adds a punch of flavor to the recipe. It is often used in seafood dishes, salads, yogurt sauces, and even bread. Many people use dill as a garnish or for pickling.
What do you do with homegrown dill?
Whether it’s a potato salad, dill pickles, a creamy yogurt dressing or carrot soup, dill is always a welcome touch as it pairs well with a lot of dishes. It also brings out the flavor in other herbs, which makes it a must-have spice in any herb garden.
How do I use garden dill?
Treat them like bay leaves, and let them add flavor to soups and stews, or add them to the cooking water when you boil potatoes. Dill seeds can be used whole or crushed, and are often used in bread, soups, vegetable dishes, and pickles. They can also be used in salad dressings, or to make dill vinegar.
Can you eat garden dill?
Both the flowers and the aromatic seeds are edible too. The leaves are traditionally used in fish and egg dishes, and of course in dill pickles, or can be chopped into soups and salads.
Can you freeze fresh dill from the garden?
Freezing dill is an easy kitchen activity: First, wash the dill in cold water and shake or pat dry. Then lay the sprigs out on a cookie sheet and pop them into the freezer to flash freeze them. When the dill sprigs are all frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and return it to the freezer.
Does dill come back every year?
Dill does not come back from the same plant every year, it is a short-lived annual. However, it does tend to self-sow as the flowers dry and drop seeds, so new plants may sprout the following spring.
What part of the dill plant do you eat?
Tips for Growing Dill in the Garden. Every part of dill from the stems, to the leaves, flowers and seeds are edible. With so many uses in cooking, from pickles to fish, it is a good idea to have some growing in your garden. Dill is a forgiving plant.
Should I let my dill flower?
In order to ensure a season-long fresh supply of dill, continue sowing seeds every few weeks. For an extended harvest of the leaves, do not allow flowers to grow on the plants. If dill is allowed to go to seed and the soil isn’t disturbed too much, more dill plants will likely appear next spring.
How do you harvest dill from the garden?
Harvesting Dill
You can use dill weed once the fern-like leaves develop (about 8 weeks); cut them next to the stem. However, peak quality is just as flower heads open. Culinary quality of dill declines after cutting; if possible, cut just what you need when you need it. Gently harvest your herbs; use pruning scissors.
Do you wash fresh dill before using?
Wash the dill.
Rinse the dill under cold water and pat it dry using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. To prep ahead of time, rinse the dill and then arrange it in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel. Top the herb with another kitchen towel and then roll it up.
How do you pick dill without killing plants?
Never harvest more than one-third of the plant at a time and use scissors – not a knife – to avoid damage to the stems of the main structure. Water thoroughly before you harvest and prune the plant well before it flowers to prevent it from dying back.
How do you store fresh dill?
To successfully store fresh dill, spritz whole stems lightly with a fine spray of water, wrap loosely in paper towels, and place in a sealed zip-top plastic bag. Store the dill in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. It should last up to a week and perhaps even longer.
When should I trim my dill?
Start pruning your dill when plants are about six to eight inches (15 to 20 centimeters) tall. To prune, use a pair of herb scissors or even just a regular old pair of scissors and snip the frond-like leaves from the top of the plant, above a leaf set.
How long will fresh dill last in freezer?
How long does dill last in the freezer? Properly stored, it will maintain best quality for about 4 to 6 months, but will remain safe beyond that time. The freezer time shown is for best quality only – dill that has been kept constantly frozen at 0°F will keep safe indefinitely.
How do you wash and dry fresh dill?
Rinse the dill fronds and flower heads with water to remove dust and insects. Shake the herb gently to remove most of the moisture. Thoroughly dry the dill by allowing it to hang upside down to maintain the best shape. You can also lay it out on an absorbent material, such as layers of paper towels.
How well does dill freeze?
Yes, you can freeze dill for up to 6 months. To freeze dill, you can either freeze it on its own in a freezer bag or freeze them in ice cubes with other herbs that can be added to a variety of dishes.
How long does dill last in the garden?
Dill is a biennial warm-season herb, very sensitive to light-freezes and frost. Dill is not technically a perennial plant because a single plant only lives 2 years. It is quite proficient at self-seeding (if allowed). If left to grow naturally, A single dill plant should come back year after year.
Can dill survive winter?
Dill plants are very cold-hardy and can tolerate temperatures that dip as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Does dill spread in a garden?
Dill can easily start to overtake other plants if left to its own devices. Though it is not nearly as invasive as mint, it is a good idea to regularly check your dill patch and weed out any plants if you notice it spreading.
Can you eat dill uncooked?
Dill can be eaten raw or cooked. To use fresh dill, cut the leaves away from the stem and remove the stem. Dill is commonly paired with salmon, lemon and chicken, dishes with spinach, and sprinkled over roasted potatoes. It pairs with creamy sauces made with yogurt or other dairy products.
Does dill have any health benefits?
Dill is packed with flavonoids, which have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. But that’s not the only reason dill is thought to improve heart health. Research on animals shows that dill can also reduce LDLcholesterol levels.