Use Dill

Dill (anethum graveolens) is a common herb that is quite easy for the average gardener to grow. The fresh leaves (sometimes called dillweed), flower heads, and dill seeds are used for cooking and herbal remedies. Dill is native to the Mediterranean and has been cultivated for thousands of years. You may know that dill is used to flavor pickles, but it has many other uses as well.

Steps

Recipe Ideas for Fresh Dill Leaves

  1. Season fish. Use fresh dill in marinating fish, or lay sprigs of fresh dill on fish when you are baking or poaching it. Chopped fresh dill can be added to sauces for fish.
  2. Make hot cabbage salad. Add a tablespoon of chopped fresh dill leaves to your favorite hot cabbage salad recipe.
  3. Make a cucumber sauce or vegetable dip by adding fresh chopped dill leaves to salad dressing, cream cheese, or sour cream.
  4. Make a dilly of a potato salad by adding fresh chopped dill leaves to your favorite potato salad recipe.

Recipe Ideas for Fresh Dill Flowers

  1. Make dill pickles. Place one dill flower head in the bottom of each quart jar when making your favorite dill pickle recipe. It’s decorative and adds flavor.
  2. Use dill flowers as decorative touches on salads such as coleslaw, broccoli slaw and German Potato salad.
  3. Decorate cucumber dishes and vegetable dips with fresh dill flowers.

Recipe Ideas for Dried Dill Seed

Dill seed can be used whole or crushed.

  1. Make dill vinegar by adding 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of crushed dill seed to 1 quart, (.95 liters) of vinegar. Let it sit for 3 weeks.
  2. Make rye and dill bread by spreading melted butter on rye bread dough and sprinkling 1 teaspoon of crushed dill seed on top before baking.
  3. Add zing to coleslaw by mixing 1 teaspoon of crushed dill seed into your favorite coleslaw recipe.
  4. Make freezer dill pickles, adding whole dill seed to the recipe.
  5. Chew dill to relieve indigestion. Place a pinch of whole dill seed in your cheek and chew on it. Dill is a well known remedy for relieving indigestion.
  6. Make a tea to relieve infant colic. Add 1 tablespoon crushed dill seed to 1 cup of boiling water and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain the tea and discard dill seeds. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and stir to dissolve. Give infants 2 tablespoons of cool dill tea to relieve gas pain and indigestion. Store unused tea in the refrigerator.

Preparing and Storing Fresh Dill Leaves

  1. Select dill leaves in the garden when the plants are starting to form yellow bud clusters at the top of the plant.
    • Choose green, healthy looking stems and cut the whole stem off just below the last set of leaves with garden snips or scissors.
    • You can trim the flower heads off if you need only leaves.
  2. Choose fresh dill leaves in a grocery or farmers market that look dark green and ferny, not yellowed, dried out, or limp.
  3. Put the ends of fresh dill stems in a jar or pail of water as you would flowers in a vase until you are ready to use it.
    • Place the jar or pail in a cool place.
    • Change the water every other day.
    • Dill will store in water for about 3 days.
  4. Wash the stems under cold running water and pick off any yellowed leaves just before you are ready to use it.
  5. Read your recipe to see what form of fresh dill is suggested.
    • If it calls for dill leaves, snip leaves off the stem with scissors. The ferny leaves can be used whole or diced.
    • Whole sprigs of dill are used in other recipes. Longer stems are generally cut into smaller pieces.

Preparing and Storing Fresh Dill Flowers

  1. Choose dill flowers that are just opening and that look vibrant yellow.
    • If you need only dill flowers, snip them off the plant before just before use for best results.
    • If you must store the dill flowers for a brief time leave short stems on them and place them in water.
    • Place the dill flowers in the water container in the refrigerator and use within a few hours.
  2. Rinse dill flowers gently with cool running water just before use and let them dry.
  3. Snip stems off as close to the flower as possible for pickles. You may leave a bit of stem for decorating with dill flowers to hold them in place.

Preparing and Storing Dried Dill Seed

  1. Collect dill seeds when the seeds have turned from green to brown but before they fall from the plant.
    • Hold a bowl under each dry dill flower with one hand and using scissors, snip off the dried flower and let it fall into the bowl. Expect some seeds to fall off the flower clusters as you cut them.
    • Remove the rest of the seeds from the dried flower clusters by shaking them gently or pulling them off with your fingers. Discard any stem pieces.
    • Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake them at 200°F(93°C) for 30 minutes.
    • Let the seeds cool and package them in clean plastic or glass jars with tight lids.
    • Store the jars in a cool, dark place.
  2. Crush dill seed for use in some recipes.
    • Use a food processor or food chopper if you have one.
    • If you don’t have a food processor, place the seeds in a plastic bag, lay the bag on a firm surface and crush with a them with a hammer.
  3. Carefully measure out the amount of dill seeds called for in a recipe.
  4. Add dill seed to your dish according to the directions in the recipe.
  5. Check the expiration dates on purchased dill seed and purchase only small amounts. Use opened dill seeds or your own saved dried seeds within one year.



Tips

  • Dill is an annual plant that will come back from seed each year if you leave one plant when harvesting and let the seeds fall on the soil. The plants will germinate in the spring.
  • In late summer, fresh dill can be found in stores and farmers’ markets as well as in the garden. It’s a seasonal herb that is seldom found fresh at other times of the year, so take advantage of its aromatic flavor when you can.
  • Dried dill seed can be found in most spice racks at a grocery store. You can also dry your own dill seed from garden plants.
  • Dill flowers are generally found only in summer. They are always used fresh.
  • Fresh dill is generally available in mid to late summer. Check your recipe to see if dill leaves or the flower heads or both are used.
  • Use dill flowers as soon after cutting them from the stem as you can.
  • A pepper grinder can also be used to grind dill seed.

Warnings

  • While it is safe for pregnant women to eat a dill pickle or dill in a salad or other dish, they should avoid medicinal use of large amounts of dill seed. Dill is said to cause uterine contractions in large amounts.

Things You'll Need

  • Scissors
  • Sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Food processor or food grinder

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Sources and Citations

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