How to Dehydrate Dill
How to dehydrate dill to stock your spice cabinet and save money preserving herbs by dehydrating them. You can save a lot of money when you grow fresh herbs during the summer. But what about those cold months when you can't garden? Dry your summer herbs so you can cook with them all winter long.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of fresh dill
- water (to fill a large plastic bowl or the sink)
Instructions
- Pick the fresh dill early in the morning after the dew has dried off the stems but before the sun is high in the sky. As the heat of the day starts to rise the oils in the dill will begin to evaporate. The dill will still have plenty of flavor but if you harvest it before it gets hot the oils will be stronger.
- Rinse the herb in a bucket of cool water to remove any bugs or dirt.
- Pinch the thicker stems from the bottoms of each stem.
- Lay the dill stems on a dehydrator tray. You can pile it on more thickly than you would most herbs because the thin feathery stems will dry quickly.
- Turn the dehydrator on and set the temperature to 95 F. degrees if there is a temperature setting on your appliance. (No temperature control? See my notes below)
- Dehydrate the dill for 10 to 14 hours at 95 degrees. Drying times will vary depending on how thickly you have loaded the trays and the temperature the dehydrator is running.
- Transfer the dried stems to a bowl. The dill will feel dry but still soft to the touch. A good way to check is to try to snap one of the thickest stems you can find. The stem should feel dry and brittle.
- Crush the herb with your hands or use a scissor to cut the pieces. Remove any pieces or stems you find.
- Store the dehydrated dill in an airtight container or glass spice jar in a cool dark cabinet.
- Makes about a 4 ounce jar full of dried dill.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- When to pick fresh herbs: Pick fresh herbs early in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun is high in the sky when the flavors and oils are the strongest.
- Salad spinner: Remove as much water from the wet dill before loading the dehydrator. Wet herbs take much longer to dehydrate. A salad spinner works very well.
- Dehydrating temperature for herbs: Tender herbs should be dehydrated at 95 F. degrees. A low temperature allows the herbs to retain their oils and flavors better than a high temperature.
- No temp control dehydrators: Dehydrator that do not have a temperature control will run at a higher temperature. One that I have runs around 160 F. degrees. The herbs will dry very quickly. Check the dill every hour.
- Herb drying times: How long to dry dill? The time is takes for dill to dry will vary. Check the herb about every hour.
- Makes: For the amount of dill I dried I ended up with a 4 ounce jar full of dried herb.
Nutrition
Serving: 1teaspoonCalories: 1kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 1mg
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