Dill

Description

Dill is an annual aromatic herb whose fresh aroma reminds some people of fennel and others of anise, cumin or mint; in reality the flavour of dill, pungent and strong, is very distinctive and particular. In the kitchen dill is used to flavour various dishes; moreover, because of its digestive and sedative properties, it has also been used in medicine since ancient times.

Leaves

Pinnatisect, that is, made up of several thread-like leaflets regularly arranged, dill leaves, bluish green in colour, are also aromatic.

Flowers

Towards the middle of summer the small yellow flowers appear, gathered in flat umbrella-shaped clusters and with an aroma stronger than that of the leaves, but milder and fresher than that of the seeds.

Exposure

The exposure dill likes best is full sun, sheltered from the wind.

Propagation

Sowing is the most common method of propagation, the sowing period is between spring and summer. As a general rule it is best not to plant dill next to fennel because, as the pollen mixes, the aromas also become confused.

Growth

The only care dill requires is hoeing the soil to keep it free of weeds and thinning the seedlings when they reach a height of 10 centimetres. The distance between plants should be at least 5 centimetres, and greater if the plants are to be left to go to seed; between the rows it ranges from about forty centimetres to half a metre, depending on whether the plants or the seeds are to be harvested.

Harvesting

Dill can be grown to eat the whole plant, like a vegetable, or to harvest the seeds. Those who intend to harvest the young plants should cut them at the base when they exceed about twenty centimetres in height. Those interested in harvesting the seeds, on the other hand, should hang the plants upside down over a cloth in a sunny position when the flower heads begin to turn brown, to complete their ripening. One square metre planted with dill can yield from one and a half to two kilos of fresh plants or fifty grams of seeds.

Storage

Ripe seeds are dried; the leaves are either dried or frozen.

Properties

IN THE KITCHEN: The fresh leaves are chopped and flavour soups, boiled potatoes, fish dishes, eggs, fresh cheeses; the dried ones have a milder aroma and are always added at the end of cooking. Dill vinegar, obtained by steeping the flower heads or the seeds, is famous.

Beauty

Crushed seeds steeped in an infusion give a liquid useful for strengthening baths for the nails.

Health

Dill seeds are chewed to freshen the breath. An infusion of this herb aids digestion, calms hiccups and stomach cramps, relieves flatulence and insomnia.

Curiosity

Dill was already known to the Egyptians, who appreciated its virtues as a calmative; it is mentioned in the Bible as a plant so valued that it was even used, as money, for the payment of taxes.