Description

Thyme is a delicate herb and has penetrating fragrance. The tiny leaves of thyme are curled and grey-green in colour on upper side and whitish, under side.

How to select

Choose fresh thyme. The leaves of fresh thyme should look fresh and are vibrant green-grey in colour. They should be free from dark spots or yellowing.

Culinary Uses

· Along with fresh sprigs of parsley and bay leaves, thyme is included in the French combination of herbs called bouquet garni used to season stock, stews and soups.
· Fresh thyme adds a wonderful fragrance to omelets and scrambled eggs.
· Fresh thyme adds flavour to pasta sauces.
· Kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans taste exceptionally good when seasoned with thyme.
· When poaching fish, place some sprigs of thyme on top of the fish and in the poaching liquid.
· Season soups and stocks by adding fresh thyme.
· Thyme is often used to flavour meats, lamb, tomatoes, chicken and fish.

How to store

Fresh thyme should be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel.

Health Benefits

· Thyme relieves chest congestion and cough.
· Thyme boiled in water and cooled is very effective against inflammation of the throat when gargled 3 times a day as it has anti-septic properties.
· Wounds and infections can be treated with Thyme water to clean them.
· It is also effective against fungus that infects toenails.

Chopped Thyme

To chop Thyme, follow the simple method. Hold stem at the tip with your fingers and slide fingers gently down the stem toward the base to remove leaves. Discard stem, and chop the leaves. Finely chopped thyme can be used in salad dressing with olive oil and other herbs. It can also be used in marinades to flavour lamb, meat and chicken. Roughly chopped thyme is used to flavour poached fish and baked beans.

Dried Thyme

Fresh thyme is air dried and prepared into dried thyme. Dried thyme should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. It will keep fresh for about six months. Dried thyme is used to season soups, stocks, stews and sauces. It can be used to flavour eggs and fish. Dried thyme can be used to season roasted meat like lamb chops, turkey and pork.