How to store dill for the winter at home: the best storage methods

Dill Is a wonderful spice that can be used as a condiment. The advantages of the plant were discovered in antiquity, its popularity remains to this day. There are many ways how to preserve dill for the winter at home and get the missing vitamins in the season in various forms: from fresh herbs to marinade.

In this article, you will find the most popular and best methods, as well as find out what is the shelf life of dill seeds for planting.

How to prepare dill for long-term storage

To keep the dill usable for a long time, it must be carefully prepared.

Pay attention to the appearance. There should be no darkened and wilted areas on the branch. Also pay attention to the smell of the bundle: the smell of decay is unacceptable. The cut of the stem must remain firm.

Keeping dill fresh for the winter at home

Fresh greens in a dish always look bright in spring, give off a pleasant aroma, have a pleasant and rich taste. What can we say about the preserved useful properties.

Spicy grass will not lose its juiciness if you make sure that no light falls on it and it is cool. There are several ways to keep fresh dill in the refrigerator for a long time.

In packages

Remove hard stalks from the grass, remove yellow leaves, and rinse... Place the dill in bags and leave in a dark place with a temperature of 2-6 ° C. Herbs stored in this way can be added to salads, soups and other hot dishes.

Dry well before laying, otherwise moisture will cause rotting. This way you can store both whole branches and slices.

In paper towels

Dry the washed herb, wrap in a paper towel, and refrigerate. You can store up to 10 days.

To increase this period by three times (up to 21 days), place the dill packed in this way in a plastic bag and change the towel every 3-4 days.

In bouquets

Place the bundles in jars of water. In this case, you need to maintain humidity: tightly close the jar with a plastic lid, or pull a bag instead of a lid, securing it with an elastic band. Leave the jars in the refrigerator. This method will keep the dill for several days. But this period can be significantly increased. To do this, chop the greens and place them tightly in a dry jar. So the grass can be stored for about two months.

Frozen

One of the most popular and convenient methods of preserving spices until next season is freezing. You can use such dill within 8 months. In addition, greens do not lose useful vitamins and have a wonderful appearance and smell. Freeze in the following ways.

In bundles

Dill is frozen cut and in whole bunches. Go through and dry the greens, divide them into bunches. Wrap each bundle in plastic and place in the freezer. It is very convenient to defrost such divided bundles in the required quantity.

Attention! Do not take a very large container, because you cannot freeze greens a second time, you will simply have to throw it away. It is better to take several small containers.

Chopped herbs

Prepare the dill: wash, dry and chop. Place chopped greens in bags or containers.Place them tightly closed in the freezer. So the dill will last for a long time and will not lose its properties.

In ice cube trays

Prepare the dill, rinse and chop. Place in ice cube trays and fill them with water (you can use melted butter or vegetable oil)... Freeze to ice and place the cubes in a bag. It can be stored in the freezer for a long time.

You can grind the herbs in a blender and fill the molds with the resulting mushy dill liquid. In this case, you do not need to use water, the greens will freeze perfectly without it. Other spices added to this freeze will add an even more pleasant smell to any food. Cubes are stored for up to six months. It is convenient to add them to hot liquid dishes.

Dried

Drying greens - no less popular and effective storage method. For a whole year, such dill will have a rich smell, it is very convenient to store it even at room temperature.

The drying process must be approached with special care. The main thing is to avoid moisture, too high temperatures and sunlight.

Natural drying

This is the most common air drying. As usual, the dill needs to be sorted out, rinsed and chopped. Do not overdo it with chopping, because dried dill crumbles very easily in your hands. Remember to remove tough stems.

Spread the chopped grass on a large flat surface (you can use a baking sheet), after placing clean paper on the bottom. Make sure that the direct rays of the sun do not fall on the dill, otherwise it will turn yellow. Keep away from dust and insects.

Important! Spicy grass needs to be supplied with fresh air during drying. This will allow the entire mass of dill to dry evenly.

But it is not necessary to dry just chopped dill. You can lay it out with branches on a flat surface, cover with a napkin and send it to the refrigerator. However, such drying takes a long time - about 20 days.

Another option is to dry the dill in bunches. Hang the prepared greenery by branches in the shade, where there is constant access of fresh air. The bundles must be protected from dust by covering with some light cloth or gauze.

In the oven

The oven allows you to dry the dill many times faster, but here you need to closely monitor the process. Put the prepared raw materials on a baking sheet and send to the oven. Be sure to watch the temperature - it should not be higher than 40 ° C. Stir the herbs on a baking sheet periodically.

Attention! When drying in the oven, it is necessary to provide fresh air, therefore it is not necessary to close the oven.

In the dryer

A special dryer that runs on electricity is called a dehydrator... The device provides all the conditions necessary for proper drying. You don't have to monitor the temperature and provide a constant supply of fresh air.

All that is required is to prepare the herbs, load and turn on the machine at the desired temperature (no more than 40 ° C). The device will do everything by itself, and you can go about your business at this time. What could be easier and more convenient?

Canned

Another method of preserving dill for a long period, proven for many years, is conservation. Allows you to use greens for about a year, provided everything is done correctly. At the same time, the herb does not lose its wonderful properties.

In salt

Dill pickling allows you to preserve the maximum smell, taste and color of greens. For salting, you need to take fresh dill, rinse it, dry it, remove tough stems. Put the grass in layers in a sterilized jar, alternating with salt.

Attention! It is not recommended to use iodized salt for preservation. This will spoil the taste of the piece and shorten the shelf life.

Close the lid when the juice comes out. To speed up this process, you can put some dill in a jar. Store in the refrigerator.

When using it, keep in mind that the dill is very well saturated with salt.Be sure to keep this in mind to avoid getting oversalted.

In oil

You can also preserve dill in oil. Prepare the herbs and fill the jar tightly. You will need refined oil. Olive or sunflower - depends on preference. No need to add salt... Pour oil over the stacked dill, close the jar well with a lid and refrigerate. Let the oil stand for 14 days and you can use it.

Storage of seeds for planting

Dill seeds also suitable for varied use... They can be treated and added to salting. They are stored for a long time. Over time, the seeds lose their essential oils, which leads to the loss of beneficial properties and smell. But they are suitable for planting for several years.

Training

Preparing dill seeds for storage is very simple. You need to collect the dill umbrellas, place in a paper bag and dry. After 2-3 weeks, shake the umbrellas, collect the fallen dry seeds and send them to storage in a dry jar.

Terms and Conditions

Store seeds in a dry jar with a tight-fitting lid at room temperature. An important condition is to prevent moisture from entering the can. After a year of storage, it is no longer worth using the seeds for supplements or treatment, since they will lose their beneficial properties, but they will still be quite suitable for planting.

Conclusion

There are several ways to store dill. You can choose the one that suits your taste and soul - from fresh herbs to spicy frozen cubes. In all cases, dill retains nutrients that are essential for a healthy diet.

An important plus is the duration of storage of the spicy herb, be it dried or canned way.

Good luck with your culinary business!