Recipes From My Thyme Garden

THYME – Recipes From My Thyme Garden To You, a timeless herb loved in French cooking, yet still medicinal enough to inspire a wellness popsicle!

There Is One Great Way To Experience Fresh Herbs – Grow Them!

I grew up in a house where gardening wasn’t really part of life, so it never seemed like something I’d pursue as an adult. 

But when I bought my first home and found myself raising four kids as a single mom, something in me shifted, and the urge to grow things just took hold.

With a small yard, a couple of teens and preteens, and a hair salon running out of the house, you’d assume I had no room for one more project. 

Yet somehow it turned into something enjoyable we all shared, and the payoff was wonderful then — and honestly, it’s essential now. 

THYME – The Ancient Herb

Thyme may not be an herb most of us grew up using, but it definitely has ancient roots that reach all the way back to the tombs of Egypt!

The ancient Egyptians valued the potent essential oils of herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage. 

These plants were believed to offer medicinal benefits. 

But what does that have to do with cooking?

Home Cooking Is An Amazing Way to Experiment With A New And Delicious Herb

Coming from a Mediterranean-influenced background, many of the dishes I grew up making and eating were packed with fresh herbs. 

So I was introduced early to herbs that weren’t exactly standard in American cooking back in the 1960’s.

These days, you can find just about any familiar herb — and plenty of less familiar ones — in the grocery store. 

After appearing on a Multi Cultural Cooking Television Show on PBS, I became fascinated by the wide range of herbs the other cooks brought to our national television audience.

Thyme For Some Great Natural Medicine! 

My years in Brazil sparked a real interest in plant medicine. 

Across Brazil’s interior, you’ll find American pharmaceutical laboratories tucked away and studying the healing qualities of plants. 

Once a DNA profile is mapped and a plant’s health benefits are identified, it gets copied, patented, and turned into a drug. 

I’m generally grateful for that process, but I still like bringing a bit of it into my own kitchen — whether as a simple tea, gummy, steam extracted or stirred into food. 

Thyme is well known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiseptic qualities. 

Rub a few fresh leaves between your fingers and you’ll get that sticky, intensely fragrant aroma — that’s some seriously healthy stuff!

Allow Me To Broaden Your Usage Of Thyme In Ways That Will Excite You To Perhaps Grow Your Own Thyme, If Only As A Window Potted Plant!

Various Types Of Thyme

One of the first herbs I planted years ago was probably Mint, mostly because I love using fresh mint leaves in so many of the dishes I make. 

As I got more confident growing herbs, I decided to try thyme and discovered there are several varieties:

• French Thyme – most closely related to Common thyme and the one most often used in cooking. 
•  Lemon Thyme – with its bright citrusy scent, it’s often paired with poultry, seafood, and lemon desserts, just as you’d expect.
• Silver Queen Thyme – a lemon thyme variety that works well in teas and cooking, and has a striking silver two-toned look. 

Not knowing much about all the different types, I stuck with the two I knew best, French Thyme and Lemon Thyme. 

I can say from experience that both flavors are excellent in plenty of my favorite recipes. 

And yes, for whatever reason, I often reach for thyme when seasoning potatoes or mushrooms!

How To Harvest And Dry Thyme For Year Round Recipes

Thyme seems to grow at its own pace once it’s planted. 

Then, before long, you’ve got far more thyme than you expected.

So what do you do with all of it?

Dry it!

The easiest method begins with cutting plenty of thyme before it starts to flower and go to seed, which is when the little blossoms appear at the top.

Rinse it, pat it dry, then spread the stems on a cookie sheet and let it dry in the lowest setting of your oven. 

I usually set my oven to 175, leave the herbs in for about 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and let them sit inside for several hours. 

Once they’re dry, just crumble the leaves into a pile of tiny dark green bits and store them in a glass jar with a lid. 

And don’t toss the leftover stems from those hard woody branches — bundle them up and save them for the grill or the winter fireplace. 

They still carry plenty of scent and flavor. 

Fresh Thyme Recipes You Are Sure To Love

Now that we’ve spent some time in the garden, let’s head into the kitchen and start impressing you with wonderful recipes that feature thyme. 

These recipes range from savory dishes all the way to immune-supporting popsicles!  

I’ll wait while you head out and pick a handful of thyme from your garden or maybe from a local farmers market. 

• Herb Butter From My Thyme Garden – Classic Homemade Compound Herb Butter is a rich blend of butter and fresh or dried herbs, shaped into a log and ready to elevate your recipes.

• There’s Always Time For A Thyme Quiche – When the summer garden is overflowing with thyme, there never seems to be enough time for a slow, relaxed quiche, so let’s make a mini thyme quiche we can easily take to the patio for brunch. 

• Autumn’s Corn Harvest And Thyme Fritters – Harvest thyme corn fritters are a lovely celebration of fall corn, folded into a savory batter with thyme and smoked paprika, then pan-fried until crisp and golden. 

• Bread Crust Potato And Thyme Tart – Classic Bread Crust Potato Herb Tart, with shallots, thyme and grated hard cheese is comfort food at its best; bread, potatoes and cheese!

• Classic French Fondant Potatoes With Thyme – Fancy French Fondant Potatoes are a buttery, herb-crusted, elegant French way to roast potatoes. Once done, they’re soft and creamy inside with a crisp, golden exterior.

• Unexpected Thyme And Strawberry Jam – Homemade Thyme Strawberry Jam blends herbs and strawberries into a just-sweet-enough preserve that works beautifully in both sweet and savory dishes.

Thyme Is A Distinct Herb That Practically Grows By Itself So Do Consider A Pot Or Plot Of Dirt, For Thyme Is One Of Many Fresh Ingredients Found In Recipes From My Garden!