How best to keep dill fresh at home for the winter
How can you keep dill fresh for the winter, many gardeners are thinking after the end of the garden season. Such a product is used not only in cooking as a seasoning, but is also often used as a main ingredient for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Today, there are several simple and effective ways to preserve the value and flavor of herbs.
We keep fresh
The optimum temperature for storing greens is +6 ° C. In such conditions, dill is stored for 1 month without using additional measures. By the end of this period, the grass will begin to gradually turn yellow and wither.
To extend the duration of its use, freshly cut dill is placed after cutting or purchased in a store in a regular plastic bag and put inside 0.5 onion heads, tied and removed for storage. With this method, the greens can be kept unchanged for 5 days. After that, the bag is ventilated and the bulb is replaced, which will save the plant for the same amount of time.
The most popular way to preserve dill is by placing the tufts of the plant in a regular jar of water.
To do this, it is enough to place the cutting points of the stems in water and monitor the sufficiency of the liquid. The water will decrease, so periodically it will be necessary to replenish the water in the container. In this way, greens are stored for a couple of weeks or even more.
Experienced housewives grind dill and put the mixture in ordinary jars, closing with ordinary plastic lids. Storage containers in the refrigerator allow you to get fresh herbs for 2 months. It is important to keep moisture out of the jar.
Preparing green dill for winter storage
For longer storage, it is required to properly prepare the greens, regardless of which of the methods will be chosen in the future.
To do this, carry out the following actions:
- the bundles are washed under running water;
- sort out the bundles to remove defective stems, simultaneously removing debris and foreign inclusions;
- the stems are laid out on a towel on a flat surface and wait for the moisture to completely evaporate.
It is important to remove rotting and moldy shoots in order to preserve the harvested crop later.
Freezing
The method of freezing dill is considered one of the simplest, while the quality of such greens makes it possible to use it as an alternative to ordinary fresh grass in the first and second courses.
The taste and aroma of frozen greens will definitely be preserved for 6 months.
There are several ways to freeze:
- as a whole - the stems are collected in small bunches, each of which is wrapped with cling film and placed in the refrigerator;
- chopped mixture - dill is crushed and transferred to polyethylene bags or small plastic containers, after which it is sent to the refrigerator for storage;
- in envelopes - for packaging finely chopped greens, foil is used with which envelopes are imitated.
For further use for cooking, it is convenient to freeze herbs in ice cubes. To do this, take special molds, fill them by 2/3 and fill the rest of the volume with the chopped mixture. You can store the cubes after freezing in molds or, better, put them in a bag.
Salting
This method allows for a long time to use dill, the quality of which is not inferior to fresh grass. For salting, take a transparent jar of the desired volume and an ordinary plastic lid. Chopped dill and salt are alternated in layers, the thickness of each is from 1 to 2 cm. After the completion of the work, the filled jar is removed for storage in the refrigerator.
Drying
The drying method allows you to obtain a fragrant seasoning, which can later be used as an ingredient in the first and second courses, side dishes and sauces. At the same time, the dry product remains a source of nutrients and gives the finished dishes a rich aroma and taste. The advantage of this method is the possibility of processing a large amount of green mass, since after drying, the seasoning does not require much storage space.
Naturally
Dill can be prepared for storage under home drying conditions without the use of special devices. You can dry the plant with whole branches or finely chopped. In the first case, the stems are cut to the base and, after the processing procedure, they are tied up and suspended until completely dry, after which they are removed and placed in a basket or special containers.
In most cases, the greens are finely cut and spread on a flat surface in a thin, even layer.
It is periodically required to turn the layer over to achieve uniform drying.
In the oven
The advantage of drying in the oven is the speed of the process, but the nutritional value and value of the dill is reduced. Drying is carried out in the oven when heated to a temperature of no more than + 60 ° C. It is not recommended to dry greens in the microwave, as this leads to the destruction of the beneficial qualities of the plant.
How to store dried dill?
Dried dill can be stored in a regular glass jar, as the container is sealed and does not allow moisture to penetrate inside, which is an important condition for long-term storage of the seasoning. In this case, it is possible to control how much greenery is in stock. Some people store the dry mixture in small linen bags, but this way the smell of the seasoning can spread to the surrounding food.
