Dill is simply included in many recipes as a classic spice. Since freshly harvested dill does not last long at room temperature, there are various methods for preserving it.
How can you preserve dill?
To preserve dill, you can store it in the refrigerator, freeze it, air dry it or process it into dill oil and dill vinegar. Refrigeration will keep it fresh for about 1-3 weeks, while drying and processing are longer-lasting preservation methods.
Make dill last longer with cold weather
As with most foods, storing dill in a cool place slows down the wilting and loss of flavor. Fresh dill can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of one to three weeks. To protect other foods from the relatively strong smell of dill, it is a good idea to pack it in a freezer bag or storage container in the refrigerator and when freezing dill. In the refrigerator, the whole dill tips can also be wrapped in a damp cloth to keep them fresh even better. The following options are available for preserving in the freezer:
- freezing whole in small bundles
- portioning chopped dill in freezer bags
- Preparing seasoning ice cubes from water and chopped dill
Air drying
Unfortunately, if you dry the dill harvested from the balcony or from the pot, its leaves lose some of their characteristic taste and smell. Nevertheless, drying can be an option for preserving dill, as the ripe dill seeds can be separated from the flower umbels with little effort. To do this, hang the ripe flower umbels upside down in a dry place with sufficient air circulation. If you place clean paper bags or another container over the dill flowers from below, the loosened dill seeds will automatically fall into them during the drying phase.
Process the dill into intermediate products
In order to be able to preserve the dill in the long term, it is also possible to process it into certain intermediate products. Dill oil and dill vinegar can be prepared yourself with relatively little effort and can be used to refine a variety of recipes.
Tips & Tricks
You don't necessarily have to chop up the delicate dill tips to freeze them. You can also let them freeze in the freezer and then break them through the freezer bag with your hands and chop them up.
