HOW ABOUT HERBS 



Mt^ 



Dill 



{Anethum graveolens) 



MADELINE PERRON 



Easy to grow, and not very 

 fiissy when it conies to soil 

 nutrients and dry conditions, 

 dill grows like a weed. I guess 

 it's appropriate that they call 

 it's frilly leaves dillweed. Dill 

 will perform for you and re- 

 turn year after year if you 

 leave a few plants behind in 

 the fall to drop their seeds. All 

 you need during the growing 

 season, is full sun and good 

 drainage. 



The tall varieties, grown for 

 their large umbel shaped seed 

 heads used in pickling, look 

 very impressive in the back of 

 the herb garden or flower bor- 

 der. I like to grow it amongst 

 the cabbage to ward off cab- 

 bage moths. The shorter, 

 shrubbier varieties, grown for 

 their abundant dillweed, are 

 great for container gardening 

 just outside the kitchen door, 

 when your garden is quite a 

 ways from the house. I tend to use 

 my herbs more often if they're near 

 the house. My favorites find a home 

 right by my back steps in pots. Basil, 

 fennel, parsley, dill and garlic chives 

 all were handy this summer and got 

 snipped for sandwiches, salads and 

 quick last minute additions to the 

 evening meal. 



Dill is very versatile in the kitchen. 

 It lends a nice flavor to seafood 

 dishes, cream cheese spreads, cottage 

 cheese, and leafy vegetables. Chopped 

 dillweed sprinkled over fish chowder 

 adds a nice flavor. I've used dillseed 



Oilly Green Beans 



Bring to a boil 2 1/2 quarts wa- 

 ter, 2 1/2 quarts white vinegar, 

 and 1/2 cup salt. 



To each sterile pint jar add 1 

 clove garlic, 1 bunch of dillseed, 

 and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pep- 

 per. Add green beans, standing 

 on end. 



Pour hot brine over beans, cover 

 and process 10 minutes in hot 

 water bath. 



in pickling cukes, green toma- 

 toes and green beans, all with 

 good results. It can also be 

 used in breads and apple 

 deserts. 



The word dill comes from 

 the Norse word dilla, or the 

 Anglo-Saxon word dylle, both 

 meaning to lull or soothe. 

 This is appropriate since dill 

 has been used as a carminative 

 to soothe cramping due to di- 

 gestive disorders or colic. 

 Early settlers called dill, "The 

 Meeting House Seed" because 

 they gave it to children to 

 chew during long sermons to 

 stave off hunger and keep 

 them calm. Dill water was 

 known to be a remedy for 

 nausea and stomach distress as 

 well as insomnia. 



Keeping dill over winter is 

 !«w.i«5.sw» simple. Due to the tiny leaf 

 width it dries easily if spread 

 in one layer in a basket and 

 tossed daily to aerate. You can also 

 use a dehydrator successfully for the 

 dillweed. The seed heads can be dried 

 by hanging them upside down in a 

 brown paper bag with holes punched 

 in the sides for good air circulation. 

 This way the seeds fall right in the 

 bag as they dry and you can just 

 shake off any stragglers. I've included 

 a favorite recipe for dilly green beans. 

 Hope you like it. 



Maddy Perron is a Master Gardener 

 from New Boston with a special interest 

 in herbs. 



WINTER 2003 



25 



