Dill

By Kim Willis These articles are copyrighted and may not be copied or used without the permission of the author.

I remember going into my grandfather’s basement in late summer and almost being overpowered by the smell of dill from his various crocks of fermenting pickles.  I do like the smell of dill however.  Most people are familiar with the way dill smells and tastes, you only have to open a jar of dill pickles to get the spicy aroma.  Dill is native to the Mediterranean region and has been used as a flavoring and as a medicinal plant for thousands of years.

Dill, (Anethum graveolens), is a pleasant, common herb that is quite easy for the average gardener to grow.  A few plants can be tucked into the back of a flowerbed, where they will look pretty while giving you dill flowers and seeds.  Often dill reseeds itself so you may not need to plant more the following year.  Dill also is the larval food of black swallowtail butterflies and can be planted in butterfly gardens to attract it and other species.

Growing Dill

Dill is an annual plant; it completes its life cycle in a season and dies.  However if you let some go to seed you will seldom have to plant it again after the first time, it will pop up everywhere the next season.  Dill seeds are small, hard ovals with 3 ridges on them and the seeds smell distinctively like dill.   Plant the seeds shallowly, after the danger of frost has passed and the soil is warm.  Thin the plants to about 8 inches apart.  A gardener seldom needs more than 2 or 3 dill plants for home use.

Dill grows in almost any soil but prefers a sunny location.  It is tolerant of dry conditions but should be watered if it wilts and will grow larger if watered moderately. It generally does not need fertilizer.  Dill has few pests or diseases but does not compete well with weeds when young.

The dill plant generally consists of a single, hollow stalk with scattered feathery leaves along it.  The plant can grow to 3 feet tall or more in a great spot.  If you are unsure if you are growing dill you have only to crush a feathery leaf to smell - all parts of dill smell just like dill pickles!

In mid-summer dill plants begin producing flat umbrella shaped clusters of tiny yellow flowers.  These flowers quickly turn into hard brown seeds.  If you want to collect the seeds cut the drying heads before they are completely brown and store them in a warm, dry, dark place until the seeds easily shake out of the seed pods.  If you wait too long to cut the drying flower clusters, the seeds may be scattered on the ground and lost.

Using Dill

Dill flowers are used in pickle making as are the seeds.   Whole dill flowers are picked and added to jars of cucumbers or other vegetables before processing.  Dill seeds are also used in pickles and to flavor other dishes.   Dill leaves are sometimes used to flavor dishes such as fish also.  Dill flowers can be saved for a few days in the refrigerator by keeping stems in a few inches of water.

To obtain dill flavor soak the crushed seeds in vinegar or add to a small amount of boiling water and let steep.  You can put them in a bag and bang them with a hammer to crush or run them in a food processor for a few seconds. Dry dill seed is sometimes ground like black pepper and added to spice mixes.  Commercially oil is distilled from dill seeds that can be used in flavorings. 

I like to add a little dill pickle juice to coleslaw.  Dill seeds can also be used in salads and in dishes like German potato salad.

Dill has a long use as a medicinal plant to calm gas and nervous stomachs.  Seeds were given to children to chew on and dill tea or a few drops of dill oil were given to infants to soothe colic pains.  Dill tea can be used for heartburn and chewing on dill seeds will freshen the breath.

One caution - pregnant women can safely eat dill pickles and dill flavored foods but should avoid dill in concentrated amounts such as teas and chewing on seeds.  Dill was used to start menstruation in earlier times and may, according to some herbalists, bring on contractions.