Dill is easily grown from seed sown in the spring herb garden
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Dill is a herb that is easy
to grow in the herb garden
Plant Type: Annual
Growing Zones: 4-9
Herb Description
Dill, a popular annual, has bluish-green stems that contrast with finely divided, yellow-green, plume-like leaves and yellowish flowers. Dill grows about 2 to 3 feet high.
Anethum graveolens
Dill is easily grown from seed sown in the garden in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Sow the seed where you want it to grow as it is difficult to transplant. Stake tall plants.
Harvesting Dill
For best results, pick leaves just as flowers open. The dill leaves can be air dried or cried easily in a food dehydrator set to a low temperature Pick seeds when they are flat and brown.
When used as a culinary herb, it goes with most anything: pork, poultry, dairy products, vegetables and especially salads, soups and sauces. Dill seed is a part of the herb used as spice when making dill pickles, sauerkraut, and beet dishes. The weed is a good flavoring with fish sauce and salad dressing. It can be combined with garlic and pepper to produce a highly flavored Mediterranean or East European pork roast (often cooked over a spit outdoors). The seeds yield a fragrant oil.
This is a good Dill Pickle Recipe: (makes 3 quarts)
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4 pounds of cucumbers
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6 tsp salt
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2 cups vinegar
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2 cups water
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3 Tbs dill seed 9 heads of fresh or dried dill weed
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18 whole black peppercorns or
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3 small dried red peppers or one jalapeno pepper
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2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved, to each jar
1. For whole cucumbers, small sizes up to 4 inches long are preferred. Larger sizes may be packed whole provided they are processed for a longer time. Wash cucumbers thoroughly.
2. Usually with larger cucumbers it is better to slice, quarter, or halve lengthwise before pickling. Combine vinegar and water. Pack cucumbers into clean jars. For each quart, add 1 tablespoon or three heads of dill, 5 whole black peppers, and 2 teaspoons salt. Fill with vinegar-water solution to ½ inch of top.
3. Seal. Process 15 minutes in simmering hot water.
Canning using a Water Bath Canner
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Use a rack to keep jars from touching canner bottom and to permit heat circulation.
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Put jars into a canner that contains simmering water.
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After adding jars, add boiling water to bring water 1 to 2 inches above jar tops.
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Bring water to a rolling boil. Set timer and process for recommended time.
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Remove jars from canner immediately after timer sounds.
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Cool on a rack or towel.
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Do not retighten screw bands after processing.
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After jars are cooled, remove screw bands, wipe jars, label and date.
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Store jars in a cool, dark place.
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For best quality, use within one year.
Dill is an important herb used by both American and European herbalists
Dill was a common herb in the Roman and Greek herb garden. Fragrant dill herb garlands were placed on war heroes returning home. Wreaths of the herbs hung in Roman banquet halls.
Its name comes from dilla, Norse for “to lull” and it was indeed used to induce sleep. It was so common because it was also believed to work as a charm against witches and mystics carried bags of dried dill over their hearts to keep off “evil eye” spells.
Dill is a herb to ease flatulence and digestive upsets, especially with children. It is also said to increase mother’s milk and ease congestion due to breast-feeding. It is also said to be a good appetite stimulant, settling for the stomach and effective in relieving babies’ colic.
Essential oils of dill vary greatly in flavor and odor depending on whether they’re taken from the mature seed of the herb or the dill weed.
Thomas Kueny, Publisher - http://www.growing-herbs.com