Dill

Fresh dill is one of my favorite herbs. I didn’t start to use it until I had traveled in Russia and Poland, and began to cook recipes from the Slavic kitchen. What I remember growing up was dill weed–a dusty jar at the back of the spice cabinet, with something that looked like dried grass and was usually one of the forgotten herbs from those gift sets of spices. And it would still be the last used spice in my rack, if I had any. It really tastes kind of like grass, and the texture is rather gritty. Real, fresh dill, the kind that comes in big bunches, like parsley (not the few sprigs in a plastic clamshell package!) is something I look forward to in the early spring in my garden. I also look for it in ethnic stores in Des Moines; it’s used in Vietnamese cuisine, and one good source is New Oriental Food Store. And if I’m ever in Chicago and go to the Polish stores, I always pick up a few bunches, since it’s always in abundant supply.

Growing dill in Iowa is easy–and you should never buy dill plants. All you need is a packet of seeds, which you should plant as early as possible in the spring, or even in the late fall, before the ground freezes. You really only have to plant it once, since  dill reseeds itself, and comes back year after year–as in the picture here. (It can become a bit of a nuisance if you don’t keep it somewhat in check. I usually try to harvest dill before it goes to seed, to keep it from spreading and taking over other plants.) It’s one of the first things to come up in the garden, and I use it in a lot of dishes. When I have a lot growing, I’ll often freeze the leaves in zip-loc bags, for use in the winter, in soups–like borscht–or sauces and other recipes. When I have it on hand fresh, I use it in salads like parsley or other herbs, rough chopped, and added in with the greens.