Dill is an herb most well known in the culinary world for its use as an ingredient in pickling, but even outside of that it has many uses. For example, dill is an essential part of a good potato salad, and it’s always delicious to add to salads and other meals. Unfortunately, dill is an herb that’s best when fresh, so it’s a shame it goes bad and wilts very quickly.
So, what if you aren’t willing to use up all your dill in one go, but also don’t want to let all of it go to waste? In that case, what you’re going to need to do is preserve those herbs. It’s a longtime culinary practice to preserve herbs like thyme and rosemary so that they last longer, and thankfully this method also extends to our herb of the day, dill.
But what if you aren’t exactly the most knowledgeable on ways to preserve herbs? How to preserve dill if you don’t know how to preserve dill? Well, worry not, we’re here to help! Today, we’ve listed down several methods to preserve dill so that it stays nice and tasty for a long time. So without further ado, let’s get into making that dill last.
How many ways are there to preserve dill?
There are several ways to preserve your dill so that it lasts a long time. It’s important to note that some of these methods may slightly change or reduce the full effect of the herb, but it’s a worthy trade-off to keep your dill lasting. The amount it changes the flavor will also vary based on the method used, though a lot of the more complicated methods aren’t available to us so they don’t matter.
Today, we’ll be looking at three simple ways of preserving dill that are commonplace in households around the world. They’re easy to learn, don’t require much effort or know-how and can be done from the comfort of your own home. We’ll be giving you a thorough, step-by-step breakdown of each one, so read on to find out more!
Method 1: Drying your dill
Drying herbs is one of the most common ways to preserve them, and the same applies to good old dill. It’s also one of the easiest ways to preserve herbs, with essentially no effort needed at all other than some time and patience. For this, you’re going to need an airtight jar, a bowl and of course, some dill to preserve.
First, you’ll need to hang your dill upside down in bundles, and let them sit for about 1 to 2 weeks. Eventually, you’ll find that your dill has become crisp and dry, which is exactly what you want. Take your bowl, and crumble the dill leaves off of their stalks and into the bowl. Make sure you don’t throw the stems into the bowl, you only want the leaves.
Once you’ve completely wringed all the leaves off of those stalks, put all that dill into your airtight jar and seal it completely. Your dill has now been successfully preserved, and it’ll retain its potency and flavor for about a year. This also works for other herbs like thyme and basil, so it’s good to keep in mind.
Method 2: Freezing your dill
Now, there’s another method to keeping dill that helps it retain its fresh, vibrant flavor for a long period of time, and that’s freezing the herb. While it doesn’t last as long as dried dill, frozen dill retains more of its original fresh flavor. It’s also still relatively easy to make, with only a few more extra steps in the process. So, how do you get your dill ready for freezing?
You’ll want to first prepare all the things you’ll need for freezing dill. This includes the dill itself, a bowl you can use to clean your dill, some paper towels to dry it off and most importantly, an airtight container to store the herb in your freezer. Once you have everything, you can start getting things ready.
Take your dill and make sure you don’t remove the flower buds or stems, you want those intact to retain the herb’s flavor profile. Give the dill a nice rinse to wash off any dirt or insects that may be lurking on it, and then hang it upside down in bundles to dry off the excess moisture. Keep in mind that this is just a short drying, you don’t want it crispy whatsoever.
After your dill is dry enough, keep it inside the airtight container, seal it up completely and then store it in the coldest part of your freezer. It’ll keep well for up to 4 months, though after that the dill will begin to lose a lot of its potency and wilt.
Method 3: Making dill vinegar
If you’re just looking to preserve the flavor of the dill, then this method will essentially keep it forever. It won’t be the same as fresh dill, but it keeps the essence of the herb well and works great for making pickle juice. For this one, we’ll make a list of things you need below.
1 Cup of chopped dill
Some dill sprigs
2 Cups apple cider vinegar
Bowl
Wooden spoon
Saucepan
Cheesecloth
Storage jar
So, first off, you’ll want to crush your chopped dill with your wooden spoon to smear it a little and then put it in your bowl. Next, heat up one cup of vinegar in your saucepan, but make sure it doesn’t come close to boiling. Then, steep your dill sprigs in the warmed vinegar. Give it a few minutes to absorb the vinegar.
When it’s ready, remove the sprigs from the warmed vinegar and then pour it into the chopped dill. Let it sit until it cools, and then add the remaining vinegar. Mix everything up well as it infuses the vinegar with dill flavor. Then, lay a cheesecloth over your jar and pour the vinegar through it. Then, you can keep your dill vinegar for as long as you like.
Conclusion
We hope this helped you keep your dill preserved and useful over the coming months. It’s a useful trick to know, and as we said, these work with other herbs as well. Herbs like these are important in culinary arts, so keeping a batch of dried or frozen herbs is always going to be a good idea.
