Dill
Dill (Anethum graveolens) is another annual that usually only gets about 3 feet tall. My Dad grew it to use in his pickles when he grew cucumbers and kind of got attached to it so it went wild for a while. My Sisters hate it now…too much of a good thing! On the other hand stripey yellow and black caterpillars that grow up to be swallowtail butterflies love it, so it all balances out. On hot days it perfumes the garden without even being brushed against, one reason my sisters grew tired of it, but I love it.
The first season in my new house (over a decade ago) I planted a variety called Long Island Mammoth. WOW! It grew, kept growing and became a neighbourhood attraction. The whole 8′ row grew nearly 7′ tall by Twelfth Night! I should probably mention that I live in the Phoenix, AZ area so my gardening season starts in September. Usually it only grows about 3 feet tall. As it started to flower it also started to wilt and on closer inspection it had TONS of aphids. I went straight to my collection of old organic Gardening magazines to find a cure that wouldn’t kill me. The next day was dreary and drizzly, so being a proper Arizonan I took the stack out to the back porch to enjoy the weather with a cup of tea. As I searched for articles I was entertained by the native finches and not-so-native sparrows frolicking in my dill forest. After a while I realized they weren’t frolicking so much as feasting…on aphids! I sat back, enjoying tea and a show better than anything on TV.
Dill setting seed
Dill is an annual, so although you can often find it already started at nurseries it may be easier and is definitely cheaper to start it from seed. I start mine in September but if you don’t live in the southern part of the US with wonky seasons you’ll probably want to start it as soon as it’s warm enough to plant other stuff in your garden. Plant it in rich soil the back to it doesn’t get in the way of other shorter plants. It’s a good companion to onions, cabbage family and potatoes. Look up companion planting…it’s fun! The earliest evidence we have for dill’s cultivation is in Neolithic lake settlements in Switzerland, so we’ve been using it a long time. Don’t grow it too close to fennel and other relatives like parsley, caraway and anise or it may cross-pollinate and the seed won’t quite turn out as expected.
The leaves are used extensively in Scandinavian cooking and in fish. They make a nice garnish, flavour vinegar nicely and are almost essential in pickles and by extension potato salad (cold or warm). The seeds can be used in pickles, cheese, asparagus or beets. Use it fresh, dry or frozen. Sometimes the flowers are used in pickles and left in for decorative affect. If you want to harvest the seeds and wait til they’re compleatly ripe you’ll lose most of them to nature. Put the almost-ripe seed heads in paper bags to dry and rub off any that don’t fall off on their own. Store in airtight containers when they’re compleatly dry so they don’t get moldy. Use it sparingly at first, a little goes a long way, but once you find the right dishes for dill it will be indispensable, even if only for the seed’s reputation to relieve gassiness.
Update: In the picture I just added (4/1/24) the red and black bug is a young ladybug before it gets old enough to earn its wings. They look scary but love the aphids that love dill and other plants so don’t kill them!
Pass up any with loose leaves and a pointy end.
You want a good, fat, round bud with tight-ish leaves and a rather flat end where the leaves kind-of turn in. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. If you have a choice between one with a darker cut-end on the stalk and a lighter cut-end take the lighter one, it’s fresher.
Once you get it home and it’s time to cook it’s easy. Cut off the end of the stem. Traditionally it’s cut very short so it can sit up straight on the plate, but I like having as much as I can so I leave the stem long-ish and peel the tough skin.
Strip off the bottom few leaves and rinse well. You can do this before or after you cut the stem. Many people use kitchen shears to cut off the prickly ends of the leaves but I don’t bother since they’ll soften when they’re boiled and the sooner you get them in the water the sooner you can eat!
Put them in a pot and cover with water. You can slice up a lemon to add to the water if you want. Bring to a boil and cover loosely with a lid. Boil for about 30 minutes or until you can easily poke a fork in the bottom. Pull them out, let them drain.
Serve with a pat of butter on the side of the plate.
When they are cool enough to touch, peel off the outside leaves and, one by one, wipe each one over the butter and scrape off the thick inside end (that was connected to the plant) against your teeth. Discard the rest of the leaf on the side of your plate or a plate set out for them.
When you get down far enough you can nip the tender ends off the leaves, and when they get too small and thin (just covering the choke) you take a butter knife or spoon and scoop out the fuzzy middle, discarding it with the rest of the leaves and leaving a small bowl in the heart of the artichoke.
Spread butter inside and enjoy.
Want to grow artichokes? They’re easy and pretty but big. I put them in the east end of my garden where the afternoon sun bakes everything else into dust. The leaves are big, silvery-grey-green and spread about 2 to 3 feet from the stem, shading the ground and the plants get 3 to 5 feet tall so they can make a lovely background plant in an odd corner. While the general advice is that they should be grown in well fertilized, well-drained soil and given plenty of water I’ve had surprising success with moderately rich clay soil and negligent watering habits. It is a big thistle, just a weed, after all, and the flower is what you eat. They flower in the spring and fall. The first will be the biggest and the next ones will be smaller. In cold areas where they would die in the winter freeze you can grow them in big pots and over-winter them inside.
Brielle's Avalon 
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