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It's Dill-icious!
By Diana Rogers
A Dilly of an Herb Have you ever taken a bite of a large pickle and could immediately tell whether it’s a sweet or dill pickle? I’m sure you probably said aloud, “It’s dill-icious!” Most of us have tasted and smelled the aroma of the vinegar right away.Many folks have discovered that dill is the key to zesty homemade pickles. Grow It! Did you know that dill is easy to grow? It thrives in hot, sunny weather (it’s a natural for Southern California) and it is not picky about the soil. The herb spreads quickly and is very invasive, so plant it in a container on your patio. Did You Know? Dill is a perennial plant. The dill leaves and dried dill weed are herbs, while dill seeds are considered a spice. Similar to a caraway, dill is aromatic and distinct, especially when used to enhance the flavor of salmon. Accent with Dill A popular addition to summer herb gardens is the Dill plant. This special herb lends a distinctive flavor to everything from eggs to pickles. In seed form, dill is used as a pickling spice and to flavor breads and vegetables. The feathery leaves enhance seafood sauces, salad dressings, chicken and soups… and even make an attractive garnish. I love dill! Remember these pointers when seasoning with dill: 1. Dill seeds have a robust flavor, so use them sparingly.
2. Dill leaves can be dried or frozen. Simply snip off some with a kitchen scissors as needed.
3. One tablespoon chopped fresh dill = 1 teaspoon dried dill weed; 1/2 ounce fresh dill: 1/2 ounce fresh dill yields about 1/2 cup leaves. Here are more ways to enhance your meals with dill: For a quick side dish, finely chop some dill leaves into plain yogurt. Pour over fresh cucumber slices and toss. Make a dill butter by combining minced fresh dill with half a cup of softened butter. Chill for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Use on bread or broiled seafood. Use dill seeds to season vegetables like carrots and pumpkin while cooking. Or stir them with butter into the vegetables after cooking. Dill seeds taste similar to caraway, so you can substitute them for caraway in breads. (Greeks also like Anise seeds because they smell like licorice.) Dill also complements sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, dips and spreads, meats, eggs and potato salad. I like to add a teaspoon of dill weed to egg salad. It really gives the sandwich a nice touch. Plus, when I add it in sour cream, along with a dill pickle relish, it makes a mild, zingy tartar for a Salmon Burger! I have been making my own pickles for years. There are so many great pickle recipes available online to choose from. Here is a no-fuss, easy recipe to try with lots of dill flavor. Refrigerator Dill Pickles 15 small pickling cucumbers (I grow my own)
40 fresh dill sprigs
2 large onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 quart water
1 quart white vinegar
1 cup canning salt Cut each cucumber lengthwise into four spears. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, dill, onions and garlic; set aside. In a Dutch oven, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir just until salt is dissolved. Pour over cucumber mixture; cool. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. It takes about 40 min. of prep and yields around 60 pickle spears. Here on our ranch, we enjoy growing lots of green beans. Every spring and summer we have such an abundance of beans that we now pickle them, besides freeze them. I have another recipe to share with those who have a water bath canner and have the time to preserve food. Sweet Pickled Green Beans 10 pounds fresh green beans
5 Tablespoons dill seed
5 teaspoons mixed pickling spice
2 quarts water
3 cups cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup canning salt Wash, drain and trim beans. Pack beans into 5 1-qt. Jars to within 1/2 in. of the top. Place 1 tablespoon dill seed and 1 teaspoon pickling spices in each jar. In a Dutch oven, bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Ladle boiling liquid over beans, leaving 1/4-inch head-space. Adjust caps. Process 20 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Yields 5 quarts. One thing for sure, it’s a ‘dilly’ of an herb!
I have been gardening for 37 years. I enjoy eating from the abundance of the land and sharing good, healthy fruits and vegetables with family and friends.
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LadyD Books
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Dill is one of my favorite herbs and works well with so many dishes. Nice intel with good information to encourage others to grow this dill-icious herb.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thank you, so very kind... Dill is one of my favorites, too.
Then there's Basil that I absolutely adore! :=)
I us Dill with almost all my egg recipes.I'll try using it in more dishes.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Yes, I found this to be true as well... especially in potato salad; quite refeshing. Thanks for stopping by.
I remember my mother growing dill in the large farm garden we had. We also had the cucumbers to make pickles. Your picture looks just like I remember it.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Dill is rather delicate and lacey looking but sure has a distinct smell. My grandmother had some on her farm as well.
Excellent informative article. I use dill in home made
coleslaw, makes all the difference. I'll try some of these ideas now.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I must try it in coleslaw, thank you!
I have also discovered that coleslaw is even scrummier if you use brussels sprouts finely chopped instead of cabbage. A whole new coleslaw!
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Great tip, sounds good. How I love to munch on those raw, delicious veggies! :=)
My aunt shared a simple dillweed dip when I was a little girl. That was the first time I had dillweed in anything. This article brings back that memory.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I, too have a food memory with a very special aunt. You just reminded me of a future intel, so thank you!
The copyright for this content entitled "It's Dill-icious!" has been specified by the contributor as:
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
Details 
This content may be copied and distributed (but not modified), as long as a) it's for non-commercial use and b) the original author is acknowledged with a link back to the content page.
If you use this content according to the license specified, you must link to the following URL:
http://ladyd.qondio.com/
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This intel was contributed by LadyD
LadyD
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