How to freeze dill for the winter in the freezer: harvesting methods and further use

Sooner or later, every housewife has a question about how to preserve the freshness and aroma of summer fruits, vegetables, berries and, of course, greens. With fruits and vegetables, everything is clear: preserves, compotes, jams, salads, snacks. But what to do with herbs, how to preserve the freshness and nutrients of this product? The best option is freezing. In this article, you will learn how to properly freeze dill at home.

Dill is a universal spice

Dill - the most popular and frequently used herb among housewives all over the world. It is a success in every kitchen for its amazing aroma and taste. In the summer, no salad is complete without this seasoning.

Dill contains:

• nicotinic and ascorbic acids;
• pectin substances;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• essential oils.

Greens have a unique smell due to essential oils contained in large quantities in its composition.

Consistent use of dill in the diet improves digestion, stimulates appetite, normalizes metabolism, removes toxins and toxins from the body. Dill is a tonic for blood vessels, prevents the development of atherosclerosis, normalizes activity of cardio-vascular system.

Dill normalizes the work of the bile and diuretic functions of the body... Eating greens on a regular basis has been shown to prevent the formation of cancer cells.

Many cosmetologists use dill in their work. For example, frozen spice in ice serves as a tonic for the face for women.

With all the positive qualities of the spice, its use is fraught with one problem - namely, how to keep it fresh for the entire winter season, with all the beneficial trace elements, taste and appetizing appearance?

There are several storage methods:

• drying;
• salting;
• freezing.

The latter method is the most convenient in terms of procurement and storage. Also, with this method, the maximum amount of useful trace elements and essential oils is preserved.

Preparing dill for freezing

How to freeze dill in the freezer for the winter? Freezing is an effective way to preserve not only the appearance of dill, but also its beneficial properties. With this type of storage, greens remain almost as useful as fresh.

Preparing dill for freezing is extremely simple. And you should start with the selection of branches of greenery.

Attention! Do not freeze stale spicy herbs that have begun to wilt, do not use dill branches cut after the beginning of flowering of dill in freezing.

Dill for freezing must be selected fresh and young. It is advisable to freeze greens that have just been collected from the garden. Rinse and dry the selected spices of herbs by spreading the sprigs of herbs on a kitchen waffle towel.

After rinsing the herbs in water, put them on the surface of a clean, dry towel, blot, and then transfer to a dry towel and let the remaining water drain off. The main thing is not to overexpose, so that the twigs begin to wither.

After the greens dry out, choose a freezing method. The most common option is freezing with whole branches. But there are other ways too.

Freezing methods

You can freeze spicy herbs as follows:

• freezing whole branches of greenery;
• freezing chopped dill;
• freezing spices in ice;
• freezing herbs in butter.

Council. Freeze the spice in small portions, which are used 1-5 times.

Freezing whole branches of greenery

The most popular option among housewives. In this case, dill retains the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals. Essential oils are also retained so that dill retains a fresh scent when added to dishes.

To preserve the dill with branches, divide the selected, washed and dried branches of greens into bunches sufficient for one application. Next, prepare a form on which it will be convenient to freeze greens. A cutting board, plate, baking sheet or thick cardboard is suitable for this. Wrap the selected form with cling film, then put bundles of greens on it and place in the freezer.

Put completely frozen dill in bags or wrap in plastic wrap, each bunch separately. Both options are convenient to use, but for neat storage, fold the dill into a container, separating the bundles from each other with cling film. Close containers and bags tightly and send frozen dill to freezer.

Council. Before using frozen dill with twigs, defrost it a little at room temperature, about 2-3 minutes. Then use the twigs to decorate the finished meals.

Freezing chopped dill

This method of storing spicy herbs is convenient because it is already completely ready for use. For use in dishes, you do not need to defrost and cut greens first. This workpiece is used both for preparing hot dishes and for salads.

For this method of freezing, first of all decide what you will be freezing in. Freezer options include a plastic bag, zip lock bag, container, or cling film.

Chop the prepared greens into small portions. In one container, it is advisable to freeze such an amount of dill, which is enough for several servings. The chopped spice must be laid out on a plastic wrap with a strip and wrapped. The strip must be sized to fit into the container in which the workpiece will be stored.

After the dill wrapped in plastic wrap is frozen, transfer it to a container and send it to the freezer, in the storage compartment.

When freezing chopped greens in bags, fill them with a small amount of prepared dill and wrap them so that there is no air in the bags.

Freezing spices in ice

This type of freezing is more labor intensive. However, by freezing greens in ice, you retain the maximum amount of essential oils, which leaves a fresh scent. Frozen dill in ice won't take up much freezer space.

You can only use these spicy cubes for soups and broths, but if you use olive oil instead of water, you get an excellent salad dressing. Defrost the cube before consuming frozen dill in olive oil.

To prepare spicy cubes, take prepared dill (it is not necessary to dry it), cut and place in ice-freezer molds. Fill them halfway, then fill them to the top with cold drinking water or cold broth and place in the freezer until completely frozen. The broth for freezing is used with meat or vegetables, according to your taste.

Important. When freezing spices in broth, there is one drawback: such cubes are stored for no more than three months. To speed up the freezing process, it is good to use several forms at the same time.

Transfer the frozen dill cubes to bags or storage containers and place them in the freezer.

Freezing herbs in butter

Another way to freeze is in butter.This mixture is convenient to use for sandwiches or boiled potatoes.

The freezing process is similar to freezing dill in ice, but instead of water, the dill is poured with melted butter. The molds are then placed in the freezer until the cubes are completely frozen in bags or storage containers.

Container for storing frozen greens

How to store the frozen product is the personal choice of each housewife. It all depends on the amount of herbs used when preparing dishes, the size of the freezer and the time the hostess is willing to spend preparing spices for the winter.

The simplest and most budgetary option is the package. In bags, both whole branches of greens and chopped ones are frozen. But bags are not very convenient for freezing spices in oil or ice. For this method, it is best to use ice cube trays or disposable plastic cups.

Silicone baking dishes will also be convenient. But remember that dill is a fragrant spice, and containers and molds absorb the smell when used. Therefore, for freezing herbs, we recommend that you select separate containers and forms.

Important! In no case should frozen spices be stored without packaging. Under such storage conditions, greens will not only lose their beneficial properties, but also give their smell to other nearby products.

Terms and conditions of storage

The shelf life of frozen dill depends on the way it is frozen. If the herbs are frozen with twigs, they will be stored for up to 12 months - after that, the beneficial properties of dill begin to disappear. Dill frozen in ice is stored for the same amount.

Greens frozen in vegetable, olive and butter have a significantly shorter shelf life. Use such a blank within 4-6 months.

Attention! Do not re-freeze the thawed dill: it will lose its taste, beneficial trace elements, vitamins and essential oils.

An important factor is the storage temperature of the dill. Do not store frozen herbs in the quick-freezer compartment. Remember also about the packaging: it must be tightly closed if it is containers. If bags are used for storage, make sure they are intact. It is better to pack one serving in several packages at once.

Applying frozen dill

Spicy preparations are used to prepare various broths, soups, pickles and other first courses. With the help of such blanks, you can marinate meat and season side dishes.

Sauces, vegetables, casseroles, fillings for pies - all this with spicy preparations will become even tastier, healthier and more aromatic.

You can also treat yourself to fresh vegetable salads in winter, which will complement the taste of frozen dill.

Various vegetable smoothies are extremely useful in winter, sauces, juices and cocktails, the taste and aroma of which will complement the greens.

For use in dishes, remove the workpiece from the freezer immediately before use, without preliminary defrosting.

Conclusion

Now you know in what ways you can freeze dill. Fresh, aromatic, nitrate-free greens on the table all year round are a great addition to almost any dish. Harvesting spicy herbs for the winter at home does not take much time, and in the cold season it will bring a lot of benefits.