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Wednesday, May 25, 2016

How to Dry Fresh Dill (without a dehydrator)

We have loved having a CSA share.  I was sad to say goodbye to ours, at least for a few months.  The farm that we did it through (Johnson's Backyard Garden) was fantastic, and they had a well-organized system that guaranteed a diverse share.  They usually give a few bunches of greens (especially in the winter months), some root vegetables, miscellaneous other vegetables, and one bunch of herbs.  

These herbs could be extremely easy to use, and sometime not so easy to use.  We have gotten big bunches of basil in the summer that were turned into pesto, bunches of cilantro that went into salad dressing, but the head-scratcher that I got a few times was dill weed.  Like a gigantic bunch of dill weed.  More than you could ever possibly use in a week, before the bunch goes bad.

I actually really like dill, but having that much fresh dill was a little overwhelming, and I often ended up throwing some of it away (which I really don't like doing!).  Then I discovered that you can dry your dill weed!  And you don't need a dehydrator!  Hooray!  Here's how you do it: 


1.  Carefully wash and dry your dill weed.   




2.  Clip the thick stems off, and evenly scatter the small bunches over a rimmed cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat.  


3.  Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature setting (mine went to 270°F). Do not choose the 'keep warm' setting.   

4.  Put your cookie sheet in the oven for 40 minutes.  Once you get to 40 minutes, check on the dill every 5 minutes or so until the dill is dry and crispy. 

5.  Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.  

6.  Remove from the pan and crumble the dill into a jar. 

7.  Make this ranch dressing. YUM!


Pin it for later!  


6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Thank you very much for this tip!
    I'm always looking for new thing which I can dehydrate with my new dehydrator. Because with the dehydrator I save much more energy than in an oven. Furthermore my food dehydrator works with the same horizontal drying system as an oven. Also the trays of my dehydrator are made of stainless steel and very easy to clean. So if you ever want to buy one, I can highly recommend this one: www.vitality4life.co.uk/biochef-arizona-6-tray-food-dehydrator/

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  3. Now that's helpful, thanks.

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  4. The lack of hydration process can change the shade of a few sustenances which influences them to look somewhat less tempting. Pre-treatment is generally utilized when DIY sustenance drying out outside utilizing the sun and wind. 06301 dehydro review

    ReplyDelete
  5. The lack of hydration process can change the shade of a few sustenances which influences them to look somewhat less tempting. Pre-treatment is generally utilized when DIY sustenance drying out outside utilizing the sun and wind. 06301 dehydro review

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks! This worked perfectly! Glad to have a way to preserve my abundant dill harvest.

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