In the preparation of any dish, an important role is played not only by taste and its benefits, but also by aroma, which attracts attention and whets the appetite. To give the dish a pleasant aroma and piquant taste, various herbs are used, including dill. It is used in the preparation of many dishes, which is a serious reason for stockpiling dill for the winter. Let's figure out what the benefits of this greenery are and find out how to pickle dill in jars for the winter.
Composition and beneficial properties of dill
The widespread use of dill in cuisines around the world does not happen without reason. These greens not only stimulate human taste buds, but also contain a number of beneficial vitamins and chemical compounds, the consumption of which has a positive effect on the body. Eating dill:
- Improves digestion processes.
- Strengthens the walls of blood vessels.
- Helps cleanse the body by removing toxins and other harmful substances from it.
- Eating dill normalizes a person's sleep.
- Helps in preventing cancer.
- It is used to get rid of diseases such as cystitis, atherosclerosis and kidney inflammation.
- The diuretic system of the body, when dill is consumed, will also return to normal and begin to function normally.
All these body reactions are caused by the presence of beneficial compounds and vitamins that make up dill:
- potassium;
- phosphorus;
- iron;
- ascorbic acid;
- riboflavin;
- carotene;
- petroselinic acid;
- essential oils.
Note! By eating 100 grams of greens, you will get: 0.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of protein and 6.3 grams of carbohydrates.
You should not use dill:
- if you have low blood pressure;
- Pregnant women are not recommended to eat large quantities of this product, and it is advisable to completely exclude dill oil from the diet;
- citizens suffering from atony of smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract should not consume dill;
- Abuse of dill in large quantities can lead to temporary vision impairment.
How to properly prepare dill
To get a healthy and nutritious product in winter, before canning, fresh dill must be properly prepared and the optimal storage method must be chosen. Preparing greenery for the winter period includes the following steps:
- Greens must be thoroughly cleaned of debris and dirt. To do this, rinse the product with cold or room temperature water. Using hot or boiling water can destroy beneficial microelements.
- Place the thoroughly washed dill on a towel and let it dry.
- Make sure that the greens are not exposed to direct sunlight while drying. This will change the nutritional value of the product not for the better.
Decide on an option for storing greens:
- Salting and freezing are considered the most effective methods, allowing to preserve from 70 to 90% of all nutrients contained in the product. Freezing is the leader in these indicators - with its help, the greens will remain as healthy as possible.
- Dried dill is also a good way to preserve the product until winter. Dried herbs retain at least 50% of their benefits.
- Pickled greens are used mainly as a flavor enhancer, since this method does not allow preserving a large amount of vitamins and minerals.
We calculate the optimal proportions of ingredients.
There are many ways to pickle dill at home. Each housewife can choose the recipe that she likes and delight her household with delicious dishes. However, any recipe is based on the optimal proportion of dill and salt, which is used in almost every method of pickling greens at home. The proportion is as follows: add one part of salt to 4 parts of greens. Accordingly, one kilogram of greens should be flavored with a glass of salt.
Many housewives, at the mention of such a large amount of salt, begin to doubt the benefits of the final product and worry that pickled dill can cause harm to the body. We hasten to reassure you - this is not so, and greens prepared in this way will harm the body only in cases where you abuse it. In small quantities, such a product is no more dangerous than any other.
Methods for pickling dill for the winter in jars
Housewives who have decided to pickle herbs for the winter for the first time would like to recommend the following basic recipes, after mastering which you can move on to more exotic options:
- classic pickling option;
- pickling greens using vinegar;
- in vegetable oil;
- using citric acid.
Each of the recipes is quite easy to learn and has the whole range of tastes and smells for which dill is loved all over the world.
Classic recipe
Pickling greens according to this recipe is easy to learn, and experienced housewives advise starting with this method. In the future, having mastered this recipe, you can move on to other options. For the classic recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- salt – 250 grams;
- greens – 1 kilogram.
Cooking algorithm:
- the greens are washed thoroughly, after which they are allowed to dry;
- the finished product is finely chopped and mixed with salt;
- the resulting mass must be put aside for several hours to let it brew. During this time, it may decrease in volume and darken. Don't worry - this is normal;
- While the mixture is infusing, prepare sterile jars into which you will distribute the pickled dill.
You can store jars in the refrigerator. The method is convenient because the housewife does not need to bother with preparing the brine, which takes additional time.
Important! If you want to increase the volume of dill, do not forget that the optimal proportion of herbs and salt should be 1 to 4.
Dill in vegetable oil
Another simple recipe that allows you to increase the safety of the product. The fact is that vegetable oil envelops chopped dill, protecting it from contact with oxygen. This prevents the development of various harmful microorganisms that could have entered the jar during preparation.
The recipe is as simple as the classic one. To prepare it, you need to follow these steps:
- wash the greens;
- grind;
- distribute into sterile glass jars, not forgetting to lightly salt;
- pour in vegetable oil until the liquid covers all the dill;
- We roll up the jars and put them away for storage in a cool, dark place.
Before sealing the jars, make sure that all the greens are under a layer of oil and there are no air bubbles in them.
With vinegar
Preparing dill with vinegar is an intermediate step between salting and marinating. By choosing this method, we get tasty greens and a pleasant brine, which can be used in preparing first courses and as a marinade for meat. If you want to use this recipe, prepare the following ingredients:
- greens – 3 kilograms;
- water – 2 liters;
- table vinegar – 200 milliliters;
- sugar – 200 grams;
- salt – 2 tablespoons;
- bay leaf – 1 leaf;
- garlic – 7 cloves;
- allspice.
The cooking algorithm is as follows:
- We take a sterile glass jar and put a few peas of allspice and a bay leaf on its bottom;
- chop a clove of garlic and put it in a jar;
- Wash the greens, chop them finely and load them into the prepared container, compacting them thoroughly.
Prepare the brine. To do this you need:
- boil the liquid;
- add salt and sugar to it, waiting until they are completely dissolved;
- As soon as the ingredients have dissolved in the water, remove it from the stove and add vinegar.
Pour the resulting brine into jars and cover them with a lid. We send the finished product for storage in a cold place. A cellar or refrigerator is perfect for these purposes.
With citric acid
Citric acid is an excellent preservative that allows you to preserve the original product for a long period of time. It is an excellent alternative to vinegar, and in order to prepare a dish according to this recipe, you will need to prepare:
- dill – 500 grams;
- vegetable oil – 250 grams;
- citric acid – 25 grams;
- sugar - half a teaspoon;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- salt – one teaspoon;
- bay leaf – 2 pieces.
Take a sterile jar and place a bay leaf and chopped garlic on the bottom. We wash and dry the greens, then chop them finely. Pack the finished mixture tightly into a jar.
The marinade is prepared separately. To do this, we take a saucepan or saucepan and pour in oil. Add sugar, salt, pepper and citric acid.
The resulting mixture must be boiled and kept on fire for 5 minutes, after which, after allowing it to cool slightly, distribute among the jars. The blanks are closed with lids and sent for storage in the cellar or refrigerator. Do not forget that the preparations already have a fairly salty taste, and when preparing a dish using them, add less salt.
How to properly store herbs
When storing greens in any form, the housewife must remember the following rules:
- Do not leave the product in a warm place exposed to sunlight. The fact is that the sun's rays destroy vitamin C, which is in our preparations, thereby reducing their beneficial properties. All it takes is a couple of hours;
- do not forget to sterilize not only the jars, but also the lids. This will reduce the number of harmful bacteria that can enter the workpiece;
- try to use only fresh herbs;
- The product must be dry, so after washing it, let the greens dry.
By following these rules, you can enjoy healthy and tasty greens all winter, supplying your body with the necessary vitamins. And the variety of recipes and methods for preparing greens for the winter will open up a limitless field for experimentation and, who knows, perhaps in the future you will be able to come up with your own recipe, which will be passed down in the family from generation to generation.
