Description: The dill plant (Anethum graveolens) provides feathery green leaves for the dill weed herb, while the flat, oval fruits make the dill seed spice. It’s an annual herb related to celery that tends to replant itself and spread widely, which is good to know if you’re considering planting it in your garden. Dill seeds are used in seasoning, such as in pickles. Like chervil, dill weed is delicate and works particularly well with eggs or in salads.
Dill tastes grassy with a bit of anise-like licoricey flavor. Be aware that once the weather turns hot, dill plants flower or “bolt.” This bolting changes the flavor of the leaves, making them less aromatic and more bitter. Dill seed tastes like a mild version of caraway.
Because it has such a unique taste, a small amount of dill can go a long way, which is why dill is so good to use as a garnish. The feathery texture of dill leaves looks beautiful, and a small sprig of dill can add a noticeable aroma to a dish. Dill is also good in salads and is the key ingredient, along with buttermilk, in giving homemade ranch dressing its unique flavor.
When used in cooking, dill weed will lose flavor the longer it is cooked, so it should be added at the last minute only. The opposite is true for dill seed, which develops more aroma and flavor when heated. Recipes often call dill seed to be toasted in a hot frying pan before being added. As well, dill seeds are often used in pickling.
Health Benefits
In traditional herbal medicine, dill has been used to help manage and prevent digestive ills and bad breath, to promote lactation and also to lower cholesterol and blood sugar. Some of these purported benefits are also backed up by newer research, which confirms that dill may help lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar control (for those who have diabetes). But those benefits come with a caveat: Much of the research that’s been done to date doesn’t directly translate to benefits for humans eating freshly picked dill. Instead, it’s largely based on studies using various extracts of dill seed and leaf, as well as dill essential oil. It’s also mostly been conducted in animal models and using very high doses of dill.
Locations of Harvest:
Time Period of Harvest
Harvest Process
Dill can be sown from mid-spring to mid-summer. It dislikes having its roots disturbed or being transplanted, so sow it where it is to grow, either in large pots or in the ground. Farmers cut the leaves as required during spring and summer. Picking young leaves regularly will help to keep plants productive and delay flowering. The leaves can be used fresh or can be either frozen or dried for later use. To dry dill leaves, farmers hang up sprigs in a dark, well-ventilated place for a few weeks. When fully dried, they strip the leaves from the stems and store in an air-tight jar. The tiny yellow flowers are edible and can be sprinkled in salads. The seeds can be gathered in late summer when they start to ripen and turn brown – farmers cut whole stems and put the seed head in a paper bag, then hang the stems upside down until the seeds dry and drop. They remove any bits of stem, then store the seeds in an air-tight container. The seeds can be used ground or whole.
Dehydration Process
After harvest, the Dill is then dried using a dehydrator. A dehydrator is an electrical machine that removes the moisture content of Dill. It is comprised of trays, heating elements, vents, and a fan for circulation. The dehydrator’s heating element raises the temperature inside the machine, the fan evenly circulates the heat and removes the moisture, while the trays hold the Dill which is to be dehydrated. Once the Dill has been dehydrated, they are then shredded into a fine powder