One of the most popular and popular dressings for a variety of dishes is dill. That is why it is useful to know the ways to prepare this plant for the future. From this article you will learn how best to freeze dill for the winter, preserving its aroma, and whether it should be washed before prolonged freezing.

Selection and preparation of dill for freezing

The key to the continued conservation of greenery is the choice of high-quality raw materials. To do this, you must carefully evaluate its external condition.

A suitable dill should have the following qualities:

• differ in a rich green tint;
• to have fresh leaves and a stem, without any dry inclusions;
• have an elastic texture of tissues;
• leaves and stems of dill should not stick together, look watery (a sign of thawing), and also contain putrefactive inclusions.

Important! Flowering plants are not recommended for harvesting. They have not only a rougher consistency, but also a less pronounced taste and aroma.

In order to qualitatively prepare greens for the winter, it should be preliminarily prepared.

To do this, do the following:

1. Remove excess parts of the stem - only the tops of young shoots have the brightest aroma.
2. If necessary, trim yellowed, dry or rotten parts.
3. Rinse the greens under running water, otherwise an unpleasant aftertaste of sand on the teeth cannot be avoided.
4. If the plants are heavily contaminated, soak them in water for 15–20 minutes.

Freezing dill for the winter at home

To properly freeze greens for the winter, you will need a minimum set of skills and kitchen utensils, so even housewives with little experience can resort to this procedure. At the same time, in addition to greens, you need to acquire only one ingredient - a handful of purified kitchen salt. The substance is the best antiseptic and safe insecticide against a number of pests.

Did you know? During the Middle Ages, dill was used as a universal amulet against witchcraft. It was customary to hang the plant bunches all over the house so that its smell would drive away evil forces.

Freeze greens like this:

1. Dip the prepared plants in saline solution (1 tbsp. L salt in 10 l. Of water) for 20-30 minutes. This will help to extract small insects from their surface, as well as the larvae of pest beetles.
2. Rinse the greens under running water and drop it in a colander for 5–10 minutes.
3. Dry the plants thoroughly, soak them with a paper or linen towel. This step must be approached painstakingly and very carefully, otherwise the resulting greens will stick together during freezing.
4. Divide the plants into small bunches, and then chop them carefully.
5. Pack the greens in small transparent bags and roll them into oblong cylinders. The product is ready for freezing: in this form it is convenient not only to store, but also to use it in the future, without the need for defrosting.

Video: Frosting dill for the winter

Terms and features of storage

Frozen dill is not inferior in anything to the aroma and tenderness of taste to freshly cut plants, but for this it needs to create the necessary conditions for saving. It is best stored at a temperature of –5 ...– 20 ° C. This temperature regime promotes deep freezing of tissues, as well as the preservation of aromatic substances in them, practically unchanged.

In such conditions, the plant is able to safely be stored for 12 months. But for this it is strictly forbidden to re-freeze it, otherwise not only the rich taste of greens is lost, but also its ability to further be preserved.

Important! During the preparation of dill, the use of hot water is prohibited. Under its influence, instant tissue softening occurs. plants, which at times reduces their duration storage.

Dill is a famous spicy plant that is universally used for cooking hot and cold dishes. To prepare it for the winter for the future, special knowledge and skills will not be required, however, special attention should be paid to the preparation of greenery. It needs to be not only thoroughly cleaned of pollutants, but also properly soaked, without which it will not be easy to prepare high-quality workpieces.