How To Freeze Dill For The Winter In The Freezer Correctly

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Harvesting time for the winter: the right ways to freeze fresh dill

While the summer makes us happy with sunny days, and the vegetable garden - with fresh greens, it's time to start making preparations for the winter. Modern housewives prefer to use a freezer for this. Thanks to deep freezing, fresh herbs, and in particular dill, retain their taste, aroma and almost all the beneficial properties. But so that the result does not disappoint, you need to freeze correctly.

Should you freeze dill for the winter?

The question is very simple, and the answer is even simpler: yes, it is. Many housewives prefer to dry dill, but during drying, a large part of the nutrients is lost. This does not happen when frozen.

When frozen, fresh dill practically does not lose its useful and taste qualities

It is also important to consider what the greens will be used for later. For example, dried dill is suitable for pickles and marinades (for example, when pickling cucumbers or tomatoes), but in soups and main dishes it is better to use frozen herbs, which are almost no different from fresh ones.

Methods for freezing dill

There are several ways to freeze greens, and each housewife has her own proven method. Let's take a look at the simplest and most common ones.

In sachets

Most often, housewives prefer just such a freeze as reliable and not troublesome. So in dill, the maximum of useful properties is preserved, for which we value fresh dill.

1. Select only the freshest greens without damage, dry limp twigs or signs of decay.
2. Wash the dill thoroughly, first in running cold water, and then dipping it into a deep bowl of water and rinsing.
3. Spread the dill on napkins or towels to dry. You can collect greens in bunches and hang them for a short while for airing. Then cut off the thick stems.

4. When the dill is dry, chop it finely, put it in bags (it is most convenient to use those with a “zip lock” fastener). Put everything in the freezer.

   

   It is very convenient to use bags with a zipper for freezing

It is often advised to release the air from the bags immediately after packing the herbs. I recommend doing it differently. On the contrary, inflate the bag filled with dill like a balloon, send it to the freezer. And after a few hours, after complete freezing, make holes in the bags with a needle and release the air through them. So the greens will definitely not freeze in a lump, but remain crumbly.

In much the same way, you can freeze dill in a container. The container should be small, thoroughly washed and dried. The same applies to greens: only in a well-dried form, after cutting and freezing, it will not collapse into an ice ball, but will be crumbly.

You can freeze dill immediately in small containers.

In ice cube trays

This method is also very convenient. Then you just need to take a few cubes and add them to soup or borscht.

1. Wash and dry the selected dill thoroughly, chop finely. Arrange in molds and fill with boiled cooled water.

   

   It is better to wash and dry the dill before chopping.

2. Place the molds in the freezer. When their contents are frozen, take it out and pour it into bags or containers.

   

   Any small molds can be used for freezing.

By the way, try pouring dill not with water, but with olive oil or melted butter. In the first case, you will get a good salad dressing, in the second - a spread for sandwiches. Only they will need to be thawed before use.

The downside of this method is that it takes a lot of time if you have a lot of greenery. In addition, regular ice molds are very saturated with dill aroma, so you have to get separate ones, especially for freezing.

In cling film or foil

This method is convenient in that it does not require cutting dill. Rinse the branches well, dry, fold into small bunches (so that the amount is enough for one dressing of the dish). As such, wrap tightly with cling film or foil. Fold the packages in the freezer and set aside until you need the herbs.

Dill does not need to be chopped to freeze in cling film

Video: how to freeze fresh dill for the winter

Reviews of Internet users about freezing green dill for the winter

Now you have a few simple and effective ways to preserve greenery by freezing. Perhaps you have your favorite and proven recipes? Share with our readers in the comments. Good luck!