Dill odorous
Anethum graveolens.
Dill is a one-year, early-ripening spicy plant that reaches a height of 1.2 m. Its native land is Asia and the Mediterranean countries. Dill is cultivated in Europe, North and South America for many centuries. Greens and fruits used as a spice in ancient Egypt. Dill came to Europe in the 10th century. In the wild, it is found in southern Europe. As a cultural plant it is cultivated not only throughout Europe, but also in America and the western part of India. The geography of local fennel names is interesting: in Ukraine it is called koper, in Estonia - tilla, in Georgia - kama, in Azerbaijan - samit.
Dill is easily propagated in the garden by self-seeding. Dill is never superfluous even in the smallest plot, vegetable garden. As the spice is used the whole plant, except the root, that is, the stem, leaves, flowering umbrellas, mature and immature seeds. The most suitable fresh young greens, but you can use both dried or canned dill. For canning is suitable stalked dill with unripened seeds. Dried fennel should be stored in a well sealed container.
Description: leaves dill fragrant pinnately-dissected with threadlike segments. Dill leaves can differ in color and are green, dark green with a bluish tint, yellow-green. The leaves are collected for 5-10 pieces in a basal rosette, which can reach up to 40 cm in height. Straight stalk of dill usually grows up to 150 cm in height. Stem is smooth with a bluish coating. Flowers are small, bisexual, collected in umbrellas.
Ingredients: fruits contain essential oil with carvone( 2.3-4%), linalool and terpinene, folic acid, as well as fatty oil, proteins, amino acids, minerals and vitamins C, Въ В2, РР, provitamin A Food andthe medicinal value of dill is the increased content of iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus salts in it in a balanced and easily digestible form.
Cultivation: dill is a light-loving and cold-resistant plant. Its seeds begin to germinate at 3 ° C, it can grow with relatively cool weather, but the optimum temperature for increasing the plant's mass is 18-22 ° C.For flowering and ripening of seeds, a temperature of at least 20 ° C is required. Flowering is stretched, the ripening of seeds is uneven. Dill particularly blossoms well and forms good seeds in hot sunny weather on moist soil. In dry weather, the leaves grow smaller and coarser.
To produce a rich crop of green mass and seeds, dill is grown on fertile, well-cultivated, non-acidic soils. It grows particularly well in the lighted areas. When shading, plants are stretched, the length of the stem increases, and the leaves lose their bright green color. The dill is sown at the earliest possible time, as soon as the soil is ready for this. In order to be able to carry out earlier sowing, beds are prepared from the fall, a complex fertilizer is introduced under the digging. To produce dill greenery throughout the summer, the crops are carried out 3-4 times per season. The earliest harvest from open ground is obtained from the sub-winter planting. It comes in two weeks earlier than with early spring sowing. Sub-winter crops are carried out late in the autumn, late October or early November, when the soil is already freezing. In spring sowing, to obtain early and amicable shoots, the seeds are soaked in water for 2-3 days( water is changed 3 times a day) and then dried. The dill is sown on a flat surface with a distance between the rows of 15-20 cm. Seeds are embedded in the soil for 1.5 cm and the crops are mulched.
Care consists in loosening rows, weeding. If there is a hot dry weather and there is a lack of moisture in the soil, the crops are watered.
Dill can be grown in boxes or flower pots with good garden land. They are sown in April-May. If it blossoms and ripens, it will multiply by self-seeding. Remove dill 4-6 weeks after sowing.
Gathering: to harvesting greens proceed when the plants grow 10-20 cm, on the 30-40th day after sowing. Seeds of dill usually ripen at the beginning or end of August. They are removed when they start to bore, and the leaves on the stem turn yellow. Cleaning is best done selectively, cutting at first only mature umbrellas. With the amicable ripening of seeds, whole plants are cut. They are dried, threshed and the seeds are cleaned of impurities.
Application of
The whole plant contains a fragrant essential oil, which is the most in seeds - up to 2.5%.Dill stimulates appetite, acts against flatulence, has a diuretic property, a soothing effect. Fresh young greens contain a significant amount of vitamin C( up to 170 mg per 100 g of weight), provitamin A and a number of minerals. Young stalk and leaves are added to cucumber, tomato and potato salads. Dill can be added to vegetable oil, curd pastes, mayonnaise, fish sauce, crushed meat, served with boiled meat and eggs. It is very good to add dill greens to potato and vegetable soups with sour cream. Sometimes dill greenery is used even when cabbage is sour. Ground dill seeds are added to salads and dishes containing garlic. From the green of dill make vegetable vinegar. All plants with herbs and seeds are added when pickling and pickling cucumbers and onions.