Dill
photo: Creative Commons, quinn anya's photostream
Dill is one of my favourite herbs, and a stock item in my kitchen. It gives a fresh, unique flavour to soups, stews and salads, and both leaf and seed are used to make dill pickles. It tastes best when just picked from the garden, but can be used dried as well. Its taste is reminiscent of caraway, but much milder.
Dill is indigenous to the Mediterranean region and Southern Russia, and acts as a digestive aid.
Both leaves and seeds are edible, but for cooking purposes the feathery leaves, referred to as dill weed, are most commonly used for soups, stews and other savoury meals.
Dill grows well in the Kootenays and is a tall, feathery annual that often self seeds. The plant prefers hot summers with high sunshine levels, and rich, well drained soil.
Dill attracts many beneficial insects as the umbrella flower heads go to seed. It makes a good companion plant for cucumbers, but is a poor companion for carrots and tomatoes.
Feb 27th
Nice to find this post, Diana. Dill is a wonderful culinary herb, though often overlooked. I mean, I tend to neglect mention of it when I write my gardening blog posts – exactly because it IS self-seeding and just shows up in our gardens here.
Mar 7th
You’re welcome, Joel. I use dill all the time, and just love it, and appreciate how it self seeds. It’s always welcome in my garden!