Dill weed vs. Heads of Dill?

Question

How do I convert dried dill weed in pickling recipes that call for heads of dill?

All my recipes for pickles ask for 3-4 heads of dill and I'm all out, but I have some bottled dill weed and I want to know how much to use. Any help would be great!

Answer 1

You can substitute the dill weed for the dill heads in your recipe, the trouble is the amount you need to use to get the dill flavor. A head of dill primarily is looking to use the dill seeds in a way that lets you take them out later if you decide you don't want the thing in your jar of pickles. Dill seeds tend to have a more concentrated flavor than the weed, as well. I've subsitituted weed for seed myself, and I used 1 heaping tablespoon of it for each head of dill called for, and it worked out okay for me. I had some really strong dill weed, though. If your isn't very strong, you would need more. You still get left with the problem of all that little weedy stuff in your pickling solution, though. It will sink to the bottom of the container, along with the other spices, though. If you are careful taking out the pickled item, it's not too bad and you can just wipe most of it off. I suppose if it was really bad, you could strain the liquid to remove it and pour it back in the container.

Answer 2

Dill Heads

Answer 3

Use 3 to 1 for most leafy herbs, like dill. One teaspoon of dried herb for one tablespoon of fresh. About 3 tablespoons of dried for your recipe. Bert