Fresh dill is one of the most popular kitchen herbs in European cuisine. Since the cut dill tips have a very short shelf life at room temperature, they should be processed and stored according to the intended use.
Store fresh dill in the refrigerator
At room temperature, harvested dill tips and herbs often wilt within a day and lose their typical aroma. Storing it in the refrigerator can extend the potential storage time for fresh dill to around one to three weeks. For that there are different possibilities:
- wrap the whole dill pieces in foil or place them in storage containers in the fridge
- put a bunch of dill in a glass of water in the fridge
- Wrap the dill in damp cloths and refrigerate
- Mix the chopped dill with plenty of salt and refrigerate
If you can already foresee that you will not be able to process the harvested amount of dill in the short term, then drying and freezing the dill are the better choices.
Freeze the dill properly
Before freezing, you can use cold water to remove dust from the whole dill tips and then carefully pat dry with a kitchen towel. For pickling salmon or similar uses, you can freeze whole dill tips in one piece. On the other hand, if you intend to use the dill in marinades, soups and salads, freezing dill that has already been chopped may be a more convenient option. Chopped dill is also often frozen in ice cube trays with a little water, as this will make it less likely to release its strong flavor to other foods in the freezer.
The drying of dill
When drying dill, a distinction must be made between drying the tops and herbs of dill and drying the seeds of dill. Since the dill leaves lose their flavor quite a bit when they are dried, freezing is preferable for their preservation. However, bundling small bouquets of dill, including the fully mature flower umbels, is a good way to catch the coveted dill seeds while they are drying by hanging them upside down in paper bags that are pulled over them.
tips and tricks
If you leave washed dill with a few bay leaves and peppercorns in rapeseed oil for about three weeks, you will get delicious dill oil for refining cucumber salad and fish dishes.
WK
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
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