How to freeze dill for the winter in the refrigerator using various methods. Ways to harvest dill for the winter

Dill is probably one of the few spicy plants that goes well with almost any dish. It is put in salads, main courses, and not a single soup is complete without this aromatic herb.

In summer, dill is in abundance, but in winter it is very lacking on the dining table! But the hostesses find a way out. They salt dill, dry and freeze.

There are several ways to freeze dill. Which one is better, each hostess decides on her own, because each of these methods has its own advantages.

Several ways to freeze dill for the winter

Before you start freezing dill, you need to know a few rules:

Dill intended for freezing should be fresh, juicy, without yellowness and obvious signs of damage, both mechanical and due to insect activity.
For freezing, only young dill is used, which still has thin stems and no peduncles, because otherwise the dill will have a caraway smell and will be similar to the one used for canning.
Dill, like any other herb, must be grown in an ecologically clean area.

And now we will talk about freezing methods.

Method 1

Fresh dill stalks are sorted, removing yellowed and withered leaves.
In dill, the lower rough parts of the stems without greenery are cut off.
The greens are washed under running water and laid out on a cotton towel to dry. Dry the top of the greens with a paper towel. Also, greens can be put in a dry, clean jar (like a bouquet) and left for a while. Then the upper part of the bundle will dry well, and drops of water from the stems will roll into the jar.
Well-dried greens are crushed and left for some more time for final drying, since the released juice from the cut places moistens the dill again. The greens need to be fluffed, as it were, so that it dries out faster, but at the same time avoiding wilting.
Prepare small plastic bags or plastic containers. It is desirable that they be of such a volume that they fit the amount of greenery at a time of use. This will make it possible not to get the same bag out of the freezer several times.
Chopped dill is put into bags - very loose, without crushing. Tie or close and put in the freezer for pre-freezing.
When the dill is frozen, as much air as possible is released from the bags, slightly pressing the bag down with your hand, tied again and put into the freezer.
If plastic containers are used for freezing, then chopped and dried greens are loosely placed in a container, closed and immediately put into the freezer.

Such dill will be stored for a very long time. In the process of cooking, it is enough to take one bag of herbs and add at the very end of cooking.

Method 2

Some hostesses freeze whole dill greens - with twigs.

To do this, dill sprigs are washed and dried as in the first version.
Then divided into small bunches (once).
Well-dried dill stalks are placed, without crushing, in bags, which are then folded into a tube (along the stems), simultaneously releasing air from the bag.
Put in the freezer to freeze.

Before using such dill, it must be slightly thawed - just a few minutes - and cut, as suggested by the recipe. Such dill is taken out of the freezer just before use, since when it is left outside the freezer for a long time, it becomes watery and loses its useful and taste qualities.

Method 3

Dill can be frozen in ice cubes.

Dill washed, shake off excess water.
For freezing in ice cubes, only tender dill leaves are used, since the thickened stems take up a lot of space in the cells for freezing ice. Therefore, the leaves are cut off, and the bare stems are dried. After all, they can also be completely frozen directly, and then used to flavor soups and broths. Such branches are placed while cooking meat or fish, and then removed.
Dill leaves are cut very finely and tightly folded into molds for freezing ice, leaving a little space for water.
Dill is poured with cold water.
Molds with dill are removed in the freezer for freezing. Such ice cubes with dill can be left directly in the molds, or after the final freezing, you can remove them from the molds, transfer them to a plastic bag (preferably two) and tie them well so that the dill flavor does not disappear.

Such dill cubes are very convenient to use for flavoring dishes. Cubes, without defrosting, are added at the very end of cooking.

The young dill is now in its very juice: it's time to think about harvesting for the winter - and freeze it! There are different ways of harvesting: drying, canning, but freezing is the most reliable way to preserve useful properties, vitamins and trace elements. But even here there are some nuances: its taste and useful qualities will depend on how correctly the greens are harvested. Therefore, I want to tell you a proven way of how to quickly, simply and practically prepare dill: and at the same time keep it as useful and tasty as possible. Join now!

Ingredients:

dill greens;
plastic cups, molds for freezing.

How to freeze dill for the winter. Step by step recipe

For freezing, it is best to take young dill: until it releases its umbrella and blooms. In this form, it is softer and more tasty.
We soak the greens in cool water and leave to lie down for 15-20 minutes.
After rinsing, we remove possible impurities of other plants, sticks, and so on.
Lay out on a towel and pat dry.
Before chopping in a blender, chop up bunches of dill 2-3 centimeters long and put them in a bowl for whipping. This is so that during whipping, it is evenly crushed.
Beat with a blender until fine crumbs. But do not overdo it so that the greens do not let the juice in, and the slurry does not work out.
As freezer molds, you can use plastic cups, yogurt molds, or make mini cubes in ice molds.
Shredded dill is tightly packed into prepared molds, each mold is covered with a small piece of cling film and sent to the freezer for a day.
Tip: if you have a freezer that maintains a temperature of 18 degrees, then it is better to use it for freezing. Since with a quick, shock freezing, useful vitamins and microelements are preserved more.
We try to quickly remove the frozen greens from the molds (it is convenient to do this by pressing on the bottom of the mold), pack 3-5 such blanks in plastic bags and send them back to the freezer. Try not to let the dill begin to defrost during this time, as the properties of all products are lost during the process of defrosting and re-freezing. It is best to initially take out molds with greens in small batches to avoid defrosting them.

Frozen dill greens can be stored for up to 1 year (until the new harvest) in a tightly closed plastic container or plastic bag so that it does not become weathered in the freezer.
It is best to store it packaged in small portions, so that during removal from the freezer, do not expose the entire mass to excessive contact with warm air.
Use frozen greens without thawing.

In winter, it is very convenient to use frozen dill in this form: after all, you can throw one such bar (or half of it) into the soup without getting your hands dirty. And the taste and aroma will be as if you were using greens just picked from the garden. In addition, such a small crumb of dill looks very beautiful in dishes. Join us, follow our recipes - and don't miss the season of harvesting greens, vegetables and fruits for the winter. Bon appetit!

On one of my husband's birthdays, and he was born in January, I was struck by the price of a bunch of dill. It is a pity to give such money in the winter, for what in the summer in the country - a cart and a small cart. I propose to figure out together how to prepare greens in the summer to save money in the winter.

Terms and 3 ways to store fresh dill

I have long solved the riddle of how to prepare dill for the winter, keeping it fresh for a long time. On average, well-prepared greens can be stored for 3-4 weeks at a temperature of +1 ... +6 ° C, as in a refrigerator.

Image	Dill storage
	Method 1. Plastic bags Rinse and clean fresh dill from petioles and old leaves. Before laying, leave the grass on the paper for about half an hour - this way, you will get rid of excess moisture and condensation. Put greens in small bunches in bags and close tightly. Containers with tight-fitting lids can be used as containers.
	Method 2. Paper towels Wrap the dill greens, along with the roots, in 2 layers of paper towels, 5-7 sprigs each. For reliability, wrap the bundles with cling film or pack in a plastic bag.
	Method 3. Natural environment You can keep dill fresh by placing its petioles in a jar of water. Put a thin bag on top of the foliage. At the point of contact between the container and the bag, secure the structure with an elastic band.

Winter preparations

As we found out, greens are stored for no more than a month. However, no one canceled New Year's salads. To decorate them, you need to be able to make blanks for the winter from greenery.

I must say right away that there are several options - salting, drying, freezing and pickling. Before reading each of them, I will voice general recommendations:

Pre-wash and clean the greens from the roots and sluggish leaves.
Cut the product.
Leave blanks on paper to get rid of excess moisture.
Prepare in advance the storage place and all the necessary appliances, which are required for harvesting dill for the winter.

How to dry dill - 3 ways

If you ask me how to dry dill at home, I will answer - as easy as shelling pears. Since greens easily lose moisture, they simply do not have time to wither.

The people know three main methods of drying:

Image	Drying instructions
	Method 1. In bundles Get rid of the roots, collect small tufts of grass. Tie them at the base with a dense thread. Hang upside down until completely dry at room temperature. During drying, keep the foliage away from sunlight, insects, wind and odors.
	Method 2. On paper Spread the prepared grass on paper. Leave to dry completely at room temperature. Do not forget to stir the workpiece every day - so the product will dry evenly.
	Method 3. Using technology Lay the prepared greens on a pallet in a thin layer and send to the oven or electric dryer. Each dill dryer will choose the time and temperature for itself, but in the oven, keep the greens at a low temperature for 5-6 hours. Let the workpiece cool down.

How to freeze dill - 3 ways

How to freeze dill for the winter, I learned from my grandmother. This process is no more difficult than drying.

The advantage of freezing is that the finished product can be used in the same way as fresh:

Image	Freezing instruction
	Method 1. In bundles Divide the prepared product into small piles. Wrap them in cling film. Foil can be used as a wrapper. Place in the freezer in the vegetable section.
	Method 2. Cut Pack the finely chopped product in sealed bags. Remove all greens from the freezer.
	Method 3. In ice molds Finely chopped grass in equal proportions place in ice molds. Pour the greens with water or melted butter in a ratio of 2: 1 (spice-liquid). Freeze within 24 hours. Transfer the product prepared for the winter into bags and store at a low temperature.

How to Pickle Dill - Grandma's Recipe

I really love to cook, so I have tried hundreds of different recipes, including for creating a marinade. However, my grandmother's pickled dill was the most delicious.

I will share the secrets of a delicious recipe with you. You will need:

Image	Ingredient
	Dill: 300–500 gr.
	Lemon acid: 20–25 gr.
	Garlic: 2-3 slices
	Bay leaf: 2-3 pcs.
	Sugar: ½ teaspoon
	Salt: tea spoon
	Sunflower refined oil: 250 ml.

Cooking instructions:

Remove excess moisture from prepared greens with paper or a towel.
Peel the garlic and cut each clove into 4 pieces.
In a deep frying pan, mix citric acid, oil, sugar, salt, garlic, bay leaf.
Boil the mixture for 7-8 minutes, then cool it.
Arrange dill in pre-disinfected jars and pour hot marinade over it.
Sterilize the jars in a deep bowl of boiling water for 5-7 minutes.
Take out and roll up the banks.
Cool the blanks.

How to pickle dill - an old recipe

As soon as salt appeared in Rus', people learned to use it in all their dishes. Also, from the shadow of centuries, a recipe has come down to us on how to pickle dill for the winter.

Ingredients:

Dill: 300-500 gr.
Salt: glass.

Cooking instructions:

In disinfected jars, lay dill and salt in layers, alternating them.

Grass should be separated by 1-2 tablespoons of salt.

Compact the contents until the greens give juice.
Screw on the jar lids and store in a cool place.

Summary

For those who are especially curious, I present the video in this article - about the beneficial properties of greenery.

Good afternoon, dear readers! Do you already know how to freeze dill for the winter in the refrigerator? If not, then our article is for you!

Freezing pros

Freezing dill is one of the best ways to preserve herbs for the winter. It is no secret that dill grown in industrial greenhouses during the cold season contains practically no vitamins. But the abundance of nitrates and fertilizers is present. And its price is also much higher than in summer. Therefore, it is best to prepare fragrant dill in advance.

Dill from the freezer in taste and color cannot be distinguished from fresh. With this method of harvesting, greens retain almost all vitamins and valuable essential oils.

There are three ways to freeze dill. Let's find out which ones.

Ways to freeze greens

You can freeze dill whole sprigs. The method is suitable if you want to preserve the maximum of green nutrients. The downside of this recipe is that dill will take up quite a lot of space.
Freezing in ice cube trays. If you are going to add greens to soups, then this method is ideal.
And finally, the most common option for freezing dill at home is harvesting already chopped greens.

Whole stems

The easiest option for fresh dill is freezing whole branches.

To do this, choose the most elastic and strong stems.
Thoroughly wash the greens, you can soak the dill in a small bowl of cold water. If you have greens from your own garden, then you can skip this step. It is enough to simply rinse the dill thoroughly. And if you are not sure about the quality of the purchased one, then you can soak it in a liter of water with a tablespoon of salt for literally 10 minutes. This will remove many of the chemicals if they have been sprayed on the plant.
Now the dill needs to be dried. Lay it out on a clean kitchen towel until dry.
Then we put the greens in a bag, wrap it tightly and send it to the freezer.

When using, it is best to get the right amount of twigs and tap them with a kitchen hammer. The greens will be crushed and you can add it anywhere. For those who like to eat dill with whole branches - just defrost at room temperature. It will take no more than half an hour.

This method is also suitable for harvesting fragrant dill umbrellas - many people prefer to decorate dishes with this particular part of healthy greens.

Cubes

If you want to prepare greens in cubes, then this option will require a little more gestures than the previous method.

Rinse our dill thoroughly with cold water. You do not need to dry it in this recipe.
Now chop the dill branches with a knife. You don’t need to grind too much, do it in the same way as you cut it into soup.
Arrange the chopped greens in an ice cube container so that it fills half of each mold.
Pour water and send the contents to the freezer.
As soon as our spicy cubes are completely frozen, we transfer them to the bag.

It is best to have several ice containers at once so that the process goes faster. In winter, one such cube is enough to give the first course a piquant flavor.

chopped dill

Well, the third option is to freeze already chopped greens. Such dill can be used not only as an additive to first courses, but also as a topping on buns or pizza, add to other pastries.

This method of freezing requires thorough drying of the dill. Then it will not stick together into a lump and it will be easier for you to separate the bulk portion.

All you need to do is chop the dill with a knife and store it.

Decide in advance in what forms you will freeze the greens. The fact is that, like any other product, dill cannot be subjected to secondary freezing. Therefore, it is important to prepare it in such a way that the dosage is convenient for you.

You can use small bags, small plastic containers or molds. We lay out the crushed mass and put it in the freezer.

By the way, special packages with a fastener for freezing have recently appeared on sale. They can be used multiple times. In addition, they do not absorb green odors.

To save space, it is enough to carefully compact the contents of the bags, removing the air.

There are 2 more interesting packaging options:

Foil. Greens in foil freeze faster, but it is difficult to pack hermetically. Therefore, freezing in foil will absorb the odors that the freezer is rich in. Rather, it is better to use it as a convenient lid for a container or a plastic bottle.
Plastic bottle. In a cut bottle, dill does not crumple and is not damaged. The chance of tearing such a package, as happens with bags, is zero. All you need to take care of is a reliable cover. It can be a suitable plastic cap, several layers of foil, or a folded plastic bag attached to the bottle with an ordinary rubber band.

Unusual and convenient mixtures with the addition of dill

Greens

Yes, you can add other plants to it - green onions, parsley, cilantro, etc. You can make different combinations and sign them. Space for imagination - the sea!

You can use these vitamin mixes for salads, soups, main courses. And in the winter they will be indispensable!

Soup

In addition, greens can also be added to blanks for soups. Below is a simple recipe for freezing borscht. So:

We rub carrots and beets on a coarse grater. We cut the onion.
Lightly fry the contents in a large amount of butter, and then simmer until tender.
Add a couple of drops of lemon or vinegar. Add frozen greens to taste in the already prepared mass.
Cool, divide into portions and place in the freezer.

In winter, the preparation of borscht is greatly simplified - add cabbage and potatoes to the broth or water, cook until tender. Then, at the very end, we put the required amount of our dressing. Borscht is ready!

You can mix chopped dill and garlic. Such a tandem is used to add to bread or to prepare filling for donuts for borscht.

And if the dill-garlic mixture is combined with yogurt, then such a salad dressing will easily “bypass” mayonnaise in terms of taste and benefits. By the way, other diet sauces can be found in the article "".

Now you have learned the best options for freezing dill. If you liked our article, then subscribe to our blog and learn a huge number of recipes for a healthy diet and the secrets of a slim figure.

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Dill is one of our most popular spicy herbs, which is very convenient to store for future use. In the cold season, dill will replenish the diet with vitamins, and will allow you to enjoy fresh and aromatic food even with a limited set of vegetables. And the most high-quality harvesting method is freezing dill for the winter. A distinctive feature of dill is the complete preservation of aroma and even texture when frozen. Frozen dill is no different from fresh, and even the beneficial composition is lost only to a small extent. If during drying the aroma of dill hopelessly changes, then freezing preserves it completely. And your favorite soups, salads, hot dishes or snacks, even on the coldest day, will delight you with a bright summer character.

Preparing dill for freezing

To freeze any product, including herbs, you should choose high-quality greens. Young dill, fresh, just picked from the garden and not withered, will achieve a truly complete preservation of its characteristics. Never use overripe dill that has begun to wither, as well as greens plucked from the bushes after flowering has begun. If you are growing your own dill, harvest it during the morning or at noon.

Otherwise, preparing dill for freezing is very simple:

Sort the greens and remove the roots, cut off the rough stems, leaving only young leaves and twigs.
Rinse the dill thoroughly, let the water drain.
Spread the greens on towels and dry them slightly (but don't let them wilt).

Ways to freeze dill

Freezing dill for the winter is easy, the main thing is to properly prepare the greens and choose the best freezing method for you. Freezing whole dill in the form of bunches and freezing in the form of ice (for example, cubes) can be called the best: it is these methods that will preserve both useful substances and color with aroma.

Freezing whole dill

This method of freezing allows the most complete preservation of the smell and taste of greens, the most "reliable" and productive. Dill, frozen in bunches, is chopped in the same way as fresh herbs.

In order to prepare dill for the winter in this way, you must:

Prepare the dill and divide it into small bunches, enough to use one or more times. The smaller the bunches, the easier it will be to separate and use the dill. If you don't have time, freeze the dill in large bunches: it will break more, but it will still separate well.
Line the quick freeze compartment with cling film or wrap it around a large board, plate, or tray. Arrange the dill bunches on the base and place in the freezer.
After freezing, fold the dill into separate bags or wrap in a film (you can transfer it to a container by layering it with cooking parchment).
Seal containers and bags tightly and place in the storage compartment.

Usage features: it is easy to separate a few branches from frozen dill or cut a piece from the whole bunch for use and slicing.

On a note: dill can be frozen not separately, but immediately in bags or containers, where the bunches need to be laid more tightly. This will keep the flavor even stronger.

Freezing chopped dill

The main advantages of this method relate to the subsequent use of greens. The pre-chopped dill will not need to be cut, it is already ready to be added to any dish. But with this method of freezing, much more useful substances are lost, and the dill itself becomes less tasty and only partially retains its aroma.

The freezing technique is a little more complicated:

Prepared dill is finely chopped or chopped in a blender (not to gruel).
A portion of dill, sufficient for 2-5 times of use, is poured into a strip on a piece of cling film, then the “sausage” is tightly wrapped in several layers of film, creating a briquette.
Ready-made briquettes of dill are placed in the freezer in the quick freeze mode.
After freezing, the greens are transferred to a paper bag, box or container and sent for storage to other sections of the refrigerator.

On a note: dill can not be wrapped in foil, but poured into a container or use plastic bags for freezing (small size), tightly tamping chopped greens in them.

Usage features: chopped dill is ready for use and culinary experiments. It is enough to cut off a piece of the briquette and add dill to the dish.

Freezing ice with dill

This method perfectly preserves the color and aroma of dill, allows you not to lose a drop of essential oils and juice. And the storage of ice with greens does not require much space. But the process of freezing dill using this method will take more time.

The technology for freezing dill ice cubes is very simple:

Prepare the greens by skipping the drying step.
Finely chop the dill or use a blender to chop.
Arrange wet greens in ice-freeze molds.
Fill the molds with drinking water to the brim.
Freeze ice.
Remove the dill ice from the molds and place in a tight bag or storage container.

Use ice cubes with dill as well as chopped dill.

Storage rules

For the best preservation of frozen dill, you need to remember a few simple rules:

never leave greens unpacked;
do not store dill in the quick freeze compartment;
to preserve the aroma and taste, use hermetically sealed containers or plastic bags, film, be sure to wrap the greens in several layers (optimally - in 3 layers or bags);
for layering bunches or dividing into portions, it is better to additionally wrap the dill in cooking parchment.

How to use frozen dill

Dill that has been frozen for the winter should never be thawed. Greens must be taken out of the freezer immediately before adding to the dish and used without defrosting. During the thawing process, you will lose most of the flavors, and the frozen greens will not affect the taste, temperature and consistency of the dishes. Dill thaws literally in seconds, there is not much water in it (only ice with dill will increase the amount of liquid in the dish and take longer to cook).

Dill frozen for the winter is similar to fresh in everything. It can be used to decorate ready meals, and in the process of preparing hot and cold appetizers, salads and side dishes, hot meat, fish and seafood dishes, soups and borscht, as well as in smoothies, juices and vegetable cocktails.