Tag: Fall Gardening

Harvesting Dill Seed

A Favorite Herb

Dill seed is one of the many herbs I harvest. It is a messy process. And time consuming. Dill heads that are not totally dry need to be hung upside down in a paper bag. If you do not use the bag, seeds drop all over the ground.

A secondary method is to allow the seed to dry on the stalk. This is possible if you live in a very dry climate or are encountering a lengthy dry spell.

Labor Intensive

Harvesting dill seed is labor intensive, much like coriander seed. Perhaps commercial growers have machines. But this hobby herbalist does not. While some herbs such as sage and basil can be hung to dry then crumbled as needed, dill takes more work. A lot more!

First separate the seeds from the umbels. This part of the plant is shaped like an umbrella and holds the yellow gold flowers which then produce the seed. If you have used the bag method some seeds may have dropped to the bottom of the bag. But often the heads still contain seed.

After separating the seed from the umbels, the cleaning process begins. But NO Washing! Water may cause germination.

Cleaning dill seed is much like cleaning grains by hand. Sifters and colanders are needed. Wind or fans can help too.

Umbel

A dried umbel containing dill seed.
After hanging upside down in a bag for a month, seeds still cling to the umbel.

Sifting chaff.

Sorting dill seed from chaff
Harvesting the dill seed is a lengthy process with lots of waste.

Sifters with graduated-sized screens

Three sifters stacked during the cleaning process.
Stems and umbels are the first to sift out during the cleaning process.

Processing the Dill Seed

Large planting of dill on a patio.
Volunteer Dill Forest

Seeds saved for sowing in the garden next year can simply sort into an envelope or other seed storing container. However, dill seed to use in cooking requires cleaning the chaff. This outer cover of the seed is not desirable for consumption. It is a multi-stepped process to separate the seed from the chaff.

A warning- the process can be messy. Furthermore, working outdoors can result in a forest of dill next year.

I first use a colander to separate the largest of the stems from the seed material. Then I use a larger mesh sifter or sieve and shake down into a smaller meshed sifter. The lighter, smaller chaff passes through. Mostly seed remains.

An alternative method uses a light breeze outdoors or a fan indoors. The seed can be sifted back and forth utilizing the moving air to shake the chaff off the seed. Occasionally seed will also blow out/away. Indoors can get messy.

Time Consuming

Canning jar filled with dill seed
Almost ready to use.

Harvesting edible dill seed is time consuming. Saving dill seed for growing next year is so much easier. However, I do like to have dill seed on hand for both winter soups and breads. So, I will take the time to at least harvest enough to fill a small spice jar. Now you know why spices are so expensive in the grocery store.

Fall is Finally Here

Fall is finally here on the high plains. Simple signs tell me without looking at the calendar. These signs are so clear, I understand how the inhabitants from long ago knew winter was nigh. Birds migrating, trees turning color, plants yielding less and less, and night approaching faster and growing cooler.

Fall Migration Path

The geese are honking as they fly overhead. Their flight path on a straight North-South directional, an internal compass to envy. Each group numbers in the dozens and they are a familiar sight. And a sign fall is finally here.

The blue jays are also flying south, although they sometimes stay a day or two. Starlings which overstay their welcome in the spring return briefly as well. We have also been a stopover to Bullock’s oriole and western kingbird and a variety of warblers and finches. Some are return visitors. But many are new. The expansive fires of the West Coast and newer fires in the Rocky Mountains are pushing many birds east.

Mysterious Visitors

Among the plethora of visiting birds in the past few days were this pair of talkers. I captured them on this video. Unfortunately, the wind masks the unique call. My guess is they belong to the woodpecker family. If anyone can identify them please share in the comment section.

The area we live in is along a river-although many would question that designation with the low water flow this time of year. Indeed just a hundred miles to the east the water dries out from time to time before resurrecting itself another hundred miles or so to the east of that location. We truly live in the Dust Bowl.

But the river is dammed just to the west and along with a handful of natural lakes that haven’t all dried up, the water provides a good stop along the migration route. In addition to that, this East Coast gal planted trees by the dozens a quarter of a century ago. Plus, pyracantha and Russian sage which also attract the wildlife.

The fruit trees; peaches and cherries and the non-bearing pear, along with the chokecherry bushes provide a splash of color. A squirrel has wandered up from the nearby town park to harvest the acorns from the oak tree. The evergreens will provide protection for the small birds who winter here-they have yet to arrive. Red buds and shademaster honeylocusts have dropped their pods and show signs of turning golden. Leaf raking is also in the future.

Fall Gardening Chores

Much of this week focused on fall chores in the garden. Peanuts were dug as were the second beds of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Yields from the big garden were satisfactory but just and the outside boxes a little less. The rains have been few and far between. The last recorded rain was two tenths of an inch on September 11. So over a month ago and no rain is in the forecast.

However, we have a chance of a frost on each of the next three nights. So, I was tasked with harvesting tomatoes. These plants are still flowering like crazy. Thus the added chore of gathering ripe, not so ripe, and green tomatoes commenced.

The smallest of the green tomatoes were gifted to my niece’s chickens. I will process the larger green tomatoes, both Romas and heirloom slicers into chow chow. Batches of salsa and spaghetti sauce continue on a regular basis but now that fall is finally here the days of fresh sauce are behind us. Fortunately we will have canned goods to enjoy this winter.

Only a few eggplant were ready to harvest. But the plants were full of purple blossoms. They are the tenderest plants, so they were removed from the garden into the compost. The cucumber vines and bush beans were also removed from their place in the garden. Several weeks have gone by since the cukes have bloomed. The pole beans remain for another day.

Carrots, beets, rutabagas and the brassicas remain. I did place a hoop covering over the artichoke. Perhaps it will overwinter with a blanket of straw underneath the canvas. A rosemary plant and some Swiss chard share space under the hoop.

The wires are from a bought covering from a season ago. But the material tore in the high winds of last spring. I am using canvas on one end and a synthetic tarp on the other end. The experiments never stop!

Fall is Finally Here

The most enjoyable part of the last few weeks have been the many evening meals indulged on the back porch. On the occasions without wind we even turned on the fireplace above the waterfall fountain. In these times of external strife it is important to balance life with small pleasures.

Fall is finally here. Fireplace at dusk