How Do You Store Fresh Dill?

Keeping herbs fresh is tricky, and we often race against time to use them before they wilt. Tender herbs like dill that require attention to maintain their springy leaves. Before you use dill in your next recipe, learn how to properly store it for maximal freshness and longevity.

One possibility is to store your dill in the crisper drawers of your refrigerator. This would involve washing it with cold water, removing excess water with a salad spinner, wrapping the dill in damp paper towels, and storing it in a plastic bag. However, while the humidity vents in a fridge's crisper drawers are useful for storing certain vegetables, they are not essential for dill.

Instead, place the dill upright in a small vase that contains about an inch of water and store it on your fridge's lower shelf. Begin by washing the herb and drying it with a salad spinner or towel. Then give it the flower treatment: Recut the dill stems before placing them in a vase. That's because cutting the stems causes them to take in air bubbles. The longer the stems remain dry, the more trapped these air bubbles become, blocking water from entering. Trimming the stem by an inch or so should remove trapped bubbles. Be sure to place the stems into water immediately after cutting. Cover the dill loosely with a plastic bag and replace the water every few days. The vase method works well because leafy vegetables will wilt if they don't maintain their moisture content. Properly stored dill remains fresh for around two weeks.

Another great way to store fresh dill is in the freezer. Freezing herbs for storage extends their shelf life without significantly altering their flavor and scent. This option comes in handy for those who purchased too many herbs or have too much to harvest in the garden. To freeze dill, start by washing and drying the sprigs thoroughly. Then chop the dill up, pack it into the cubes of an ice tray, and cover it with water. Once frozen, transfer the cubes into a bag or freezer container for compact and convenient storage. Frozen dill can be used for up to four months.

The final method for storing dill is dehydrating. Although no longer fresh, dried dill will last up to a year. If you own a food dehydrator, simply clean the dill and run the machine at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly four hours or until dry and crumbly. Unless your oven has a dehydrator function and can go below 200 degrees, it won't work well. Alternatively, the equipment-free method involves hanging the herbs upside down on a string for about a week. Transfer the dried dill into a sealed container and you have your very own seasoning.