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All About Dill and Its Use Beyond Pickles!

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Jonathon Engels, a long-time vegetarian turned vegan, is currently on a trip from Guatemala to... Read More

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Most of us are familiar with dill through its association with dill pickles, something we either have whole as a snack or sliced on burgers and sandwiches. It also makes an appearance in potato salad recipes or shows up there via cucumber relish added to potato. Quietly, it is the heart of ranch dressing.

Other than that, it doesn’t often appear in much, unlike say basil or rosemary, but that’s a mistake. Dill is far more versatile than we give it credit for. It’s in the same family as parsley (another overlooked and flavorful herb) and celery (probably found in the delicious potato salad mentioned earlier).

It has a sweet, grassy flavor with a tinge of anise to it, and it also has a wonderfully distinct aroma. The dill flavor is flushed out from two parts of the plant. The delicate leaves are commonly referred to as dill weed, used as an herb, whereas the seeds are treated as a spice.

Using Dill Weed and Dill Seed

Dill weed comes from a rather feathery collection of foliage, and it has a similarly delicate disposition that begins to disappear when cooked. It is best used fresh as a late addition once the cooking is done or as a flavorful garnish to a dish. Dill seeds are the opposite. The taste intensity grows as the seeds are heated.

In recipes, a couple of tablespoons of freshly chopped dill weed is the equivalent of a teaspoon of dill seeds. Dried dill weed is also available in grocery stores, and though far inferior to fresh dill, it can be substituted as one tablespoon is equivalent to a teaspoon of dill seeds.

Growing Dill in the Garden

Dill is a fantastic plant to grow. It’s an agreeable grower, not requiring much attention. It is a cool-weather crop that likes wetter seasons, such as spring and autumn. Dill is a great companion plant, especially for brassicas like kale and cabbage, as it repels pests that love these vegetables. It also attracts predatory insects that are helpful with pests that go after asparagus, corn, and cucumbers.

Dill will also happily grow in a pot, so it can be part of a windowsill herb garden or an edible patio container garden. Harvesting the plant all at once, cutting it a couple of inches above the soil, before it gets too tall will prevent it from bolting as quickly in the summer heat. It’s also very easy to harvest seeds from, allowing one seed packet to potentially provide a lifetime of dill for the kitchen.

Using Dill for More than Pickles

Fresh dill has a strong enough flavor and aroma to standout in salad dressings and dipping sauces, which can be used on everyday garden salads or thrown into more exciting recipes like:

Dill is also fantastic for breakfast. It can make a scramble scream with delight or turned everyday hash browns into something so much more splendid.

Legumes can really benefit from pairing with fresh dill or dill seeds. This can work nicely with fresh dill weed in cold dishes or dill seeds in hot pots.

Dill and cheese (vegan cheese, of course) work wonderfully together to provide fantastic spreads for bagels or hunks globs of goodness on crackers.

Then, of course, there is just learning to toss dill into dishes as one would any herb that satisfies a craving. It pairs wonderfully with potatoes, with grains, with pulses, with vegetables. Try dilly green beans. Go for dill and beets with borscht.

Dill as Medicine

For those who already know that they love the taste of dill, it’s worth knowing that it also carries medicinal qualities. It is anti-inflammatory, which helps with joint pain. It has nutrients that help with congestion and breathing. It helps with digestion and menstruation as well. In other words, diving into dill not only kicks up the flavor but also the health benefits.