Question
I am growing dill weed for the first time. It is growing like crazy. I am trying to cook with it-but I have noticed that it is not as fragrant as the freeze-dried version I am use to cooking with. Is my timing off? My other question is also about freezing dill-is it possible and what is the best way? Thank you for any help you can give me!

Answer
Dear Kate,

Several thoughts come to mind in response to your concern about the lesser flavor of the dill you are harvesting versus the freeze-dried version you are used to cooking with. First, keep in mind that if you store your fresh dill in the refrigerator for even a few days prior to using it, flavor will be lost. Second, always plan to use more of a fresh herb than a dried version, as the fresh still contains its water; the proportion might vary, but with dill I would suggest using 3 times fresh versus a recipe's measurement for dry. Also, dill is a very delicate herb and--even more so with the fresh than dried version--it should be added at the very last moment when cooking to avoid losing its flavor.

On the other hand! If you are over-fertilizing your dill plant, that would account for its lush growth and diminished flavor. As with most herbs, minimal fertilizing is preferred and the typical care simply includes good drainage and keeping the garden area weed free. You can see this very obviously with Nasturtiums, which, if overfed, will produce an abundance of leaves and virtually no colorful flowers.

You didn't mention your growing zone, but in my zone (6, S. Central PA), we're still having some overnight light frosts, so it is still early enough in our growing season to either buy new dill plants or to start some by seed. You might want to do this, or even think of starting new plants every couple of weeks or so, with the possibility of growing some indoors to keep a continuous supply of fresh leaves for your winter kitchen--keeping in mind that with its deep tap root you'll want a fairly deep but narrow pot and that you'll need to assume you're harvesting fresh leaves from a plant or two, which will "wear out" and you'll thus want to have a new supply handy.

On the other hand, if you simply want to preserve what you're growing outdoors, you can either air dry it (in a dust free, warm, but no direct sunlight location) and then store the dried feathery leaves in an air tight jar; or, you might wish to snip it very fine (use a scissors instead of a knife to keep from tearing it), place it in an ice cube tray--filling each cube with as much dill as possible and adding just a bit of water--then, once frozen, popping the cubes into plastic bags, keeping them frozen until you're ready to use. Another method of freezing is to place sprigs on a cookie sheet and, once frozen, these sprigs can be loosely placed in a sealed baggie or plastic container. Herb butter is yet one more choice and for this you should preferably use unsalted room-temperature butter, mince the dill, then blend with the butter. For this you can use a food processor or resort to a mortar and pestle. Once blended, your dill butter can be shaped into a ball with an ice cream scoop or whatever form you prefer (I usually create a standard 1 Tablespoon size ball or slice for ease of measuring when I defrost herb butters). These can be separated by wzx paper and placed in a plastic freezer container or baggie.

I hope these notes prove helpful, Kate, and good luck with your dill! By the way, if you think over-fertilizing has been your problem with your current dill plant, the best you can do at this stage is to ensure no further plant food is added for the rest of the growing season and hopefuly your plant will return to a more flavorful state.

If you have any further questions or feel like sharing future garden results with me, please don't hesitate to send me a note at [email protected].

Best regards,
Ruth Roy