Dill brings a crisp, citrusy, anise-adjacent snap that screams fresh. It’s indispensable for pickles, salmon, potatoes, eggs, and yogurt sauces. In the garden, it’s fast, generous, and beloved by beneficial insects and black swallowtail caterpillars.
A Quick Botanical Snapshot
Family: Apiaceae
Type: Annual (quick to mature; easy to succession sow)
Flavor notes: Fresh, grassy, lemon-anise; seeds are warmer and more caraway-like
History & Kitchen Heritage
From Scandinavia to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, dill has seasoned fish, pickles, and summer vegetables for centuries. The Old Norse root dylla (“to soothe”) hints at its traditional reputation as a calming kitchen herb—best enjoyed today simply as flavor, not medicine.
Culinary Uses That Win
Leaves (“dill weed”): Stir into omelets, potato salads, yogurt sauces, cucumber salads, and compound butter.
Flower umbels: Iconic in jars of dill pickles.
Seeds: Excellent in brines, rye breads, and spice blends.
3 Quick Keeper Recipes
24-Hour Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Pack spears or coins of firm cucumbers with 1–2 dill umbels, a few garlic cloves, and peppercorns. Cover with hot brine (1 cup vinegar : 1 cup water : 1 Tbsp kosher salt) and cool. Refrigerate 24 hours.Dill–Yogurt Sauce for Fish or Veg
1 cup plain yogurt, 2–3 Tbsp chopped dill, squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt. Optional: grated garlic or lemon zest.Dill Butter
Mash 1 stick (113 g) softened butter with 2 Tbsp chopped dill and a pinch of salt. Roll, chill, and slice over salmon, potatoes, or corn.
Here’s a classic (no-cheese) Oysters Rockefeller built around a bright herb butter—true to Antoine’s style (parsley–watercress–tarragon/chervil), with a touch of anise liqueur. For our Dill add-on… please scroll down to the notes below:
Ingredients (12 oysters; serves 2–4)
12 fresh oysters, scrubbed, shucked on the half shell (reserve liquor)
Herb butter:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, soft
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, lightly packed
1 cup watercress (or ½ cup watercress + ½ cup chervil if available)
1–2 Tbsp fresh tarragon leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
2 scallions (white & green), chopped
1 small celery rib, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1 small garlic clove
1–2 tsp Pernod/Herbsaint/pastis (optional but classic vibe)
1 tsp lemon zest + 1 tsp lemon juice
¼–⅓ cup fresh breadcrumbs (just enough to bind)
Salt & pepper, to taste
Pinch cayenne or hot sauce, to taste
To bake: Coarse kosher/rock salt (to steady shells), lemon wedges
Method
Heat oven to 450°F / 230°C. Line a rimmed sheet with rock salt (or crumpled foil) to nest shells.
Make herb butter: In a food processor, pulse parsley, watercress (and chervil if using), tarragon, scallions, celery, shallot, and garlic until finely chopped. Add soft butter, Pernod, lemon zest/juice, a pinch of salt/pepper/cayenne; pulse smooth. Pulse in breadcrumbs—just enough to make a thick, spreadable paste.
Prep oysters: Nest shucked oysters in shells on the salt bed. Spoon a few drops of reserved oyster liquor over each.
Top & bake: Mound 1–1½ tsp herb butter over each oyster (cover the meat). Bake 8–10 min until bubbling at edges; if needed, broil 30–60 sec for light browning.
Serve: Rest 1–2 min. Finish with a drop of lemon. Serve hot on the salt bed.
Notes & swaps
Classic = no cheese, no bacon. The green comes from herbs (and watercress), not spinach.
No anise liqueur? Add a few fennel fronds or a pinch of ground fennel.
Gluten-free: Use GF breadcrumbs or very fine almond meal.
Make-ahead: Herb butter keeps 3–4 days refrigerated or 1 month frozen; top and bake to order.
Spinach variant (modern): Replace half the watercress with blanched-squeezed spinach for extra body/color.
Classic Oysters Rockefeller has no dill.
The traditional herb set is parsley + watercress (or chervil) + tarragon, with green onion/celery/shallot. Dill isn’t typical to the New Orleans profile. However, if you love dill, here’s a safe tweak (without wrecking the classic vibe):
Add (optional): 1–2 tsp very finely chopped dill into the herb butter.
Adjust: Cut the tarragon by about half so the flavors don’t clash.
Liquor: Skip or reduce the Pernod/Herbsaint (anise + dill can fight); use a splash of dry white wine or extra lemon instead.
Finish: You can also sprinkle fresh dill after baking instead of mixing it in.
Tip: test one oyster with dill first, then adjust the batch to taste.
Growing Dill: Simple, Fast, Rewarding
Sun & Soil: Full sun; well-drained soil.
Sowing: Direct-sow—dill hates transplanting. Start early spring and repeat every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest.
Spacing: Thin to 8–12 in (20–30 cm).
Water & Feeding: Moderate water; too much nitrogen = floppy stems.
Harvest Windows:
Leaves: Start when plants are 8–10 in tall; pinch to encourage branching.
Flower umbels: Harvest at peak bloom for pickling.
Seeds: Clip brown, drying heads into a paper bag to finish; rub out when fully dry.
Pollinators & Predators (In the Good Way)
Dill’s umbels are a buffet for hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and bees—natural pest control for the rest of your garden. It’s also a host plant for black swallowtail caterpillars. Grow extra if you want your share and theirs.
Garden Placement, Neighbors & Myths
Companions: Cabbage family crops (to distract/repel pests), lettuces, onions, and cucumbers (for timely pickles!).
Windfall Seedlings: Dill reseeds readily. Deadhead or welcome volunteers next spring.
Myth check: Dill and fennel do not cross (different genera). They can, however, compete for space and will both reseed—plan bed layout accordingly.
Pests & Problems
Aphids: Blast with water; encourage beneficials (dill itself helps).
Bolting in heat: Embrace it—use flowers and seed. For more leaves, succession sow and keep plants evenly watered.
Flop & lodge: Stake taller varieties or grow in a spot with gentle wind protection.
Seed Saving
Dill is insect-pollinated and will cross with other dill varieties. If you’re maintaining a particular cultivar (e.g., ‘Fernleaf’), isolate varieties or save seed from only one.
Yikes, another Caterpillar. Time for a Captain Jack’s treatment!
Bonide’s Captain Jack’s line—popular in the US for caterpillars:
Captain Jack’s Bt “Thuricide” (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, Btk) – a targeted biological that only affects leaf-eating caterpillars (they must ingest it), and it’s labeled for edible crops and considered safe for most beneficials. captainjacks.com
Captain Jack’s DeadBug Brew (spinosad) – broader spectrum (also hits beetles, thrips, leafminers, etc.) and labeled for many fruits/veg/ornamentals. Bonide+1
Sidebar: Cultivars to Know
‘Fernleaf’: Compact, slow to bolt; great in containers.
‘Dukat’: Rich leaf flavor; excellent for fresh use.
‘Bouquet’: Early and umbels galore—ideal for picklers.
‘Mammoth’/‘Vierling’: Tall, abundant seed heads.
Sidebar: A Northeastern Grower’s Calendar (Zones ~6–7)
Early Spring: Direct-sow first bed as soon as soil can be worked.
Late Spring–Mid-Summer: Succession sow every 2–3 weeks.
Late Summer: Let a patch flower and set seed; bag and dry for winter spice or let some self-sow.
Sensible Safety & Use Notes
Apiaceae allergies are possible—introduce dill in normal culinary amounts and observe.
Essential oil ingestion is not recommended. Culinary use of leaves/seeds in food is the smart way to enjoy dill.
As with all herbs in our community: we focus on flavor, tradition, and practical well-being, not therapeutic claims.
Until next time...
I am...
Phil Wilson...
And, here’s to living an Herbal Lifestyle With You!