Thyme

[Noah]

Hi I just planted some Thyme on my garden and was wondering exactly how they are used in cooking. When I sprinkled some on my chicken dish, I think it cooked it too much and thereby nullifying it's aroma. Maybe I should dry them first?

Thank you.

noah

[bobbiwoz]

I was reading this:

Whole thyme takes longer to release flavor, so use the ground thyme for shorter cooking times, or at the end of cooking.

The thyme seeds I planted never germinated. I hope to do better next year.

[MazdaUK]

I generally put sprigs in a marinade or casserole, or chop (leaves only) for flavoured butter.

You can also make thyme jelly very easily to add to dishes or serve on the side (good with roast chicken) - make a basic apple jelly but put lareg sprigs of thyme in when cooking the apples. Once you've made the jelly with the strained juice and sugar, put a large sprig of thyme in each jar before adding the jelly and sealing (if you damp the thyme it will stay suspended and not float to the surface)

[Noah]

I did also get the feeling that thyme are best sprinkled at the end of cooking. Grounding thyme is an interesting concept. I assume one has to dry the sprigs first in order to ground.

Thank you for the recipe on thyme jelly by the way.

[MazdaUK]

You're welcome! You can do the same with other herb - sage is good for pork, for example, rosemary for lamb You can also spoon a little into any gravy to add richness. And its a brilliant way of using up windfall apples as you don't have to worry about processing them too much - just cut off any obvious bad bits (and lodgers) and roughly chop the rest.

[bobbiwoz]

Originally Posted by MazdaUK

You're welcome! You can do the same with other herb - sage is good for pork, for example, rosemary for lamb You can also spoon a little into any gravy to add richness. And its a brilliant way of using up windfall apples as you don't have to worry about processing them too much - just cut off any obvious bad bits (and lodgers) and roughly chop the rest.

Do you have an apple tree? Wish we had some "windfall" apples!
However, I don't plant cherry tomatoes, the ones that are volunteers keep us happy!

[MazdaUK]

Its not a very big tree - its about 18 years old but its a bit tall and spindly - I let it get away from me a bit But a friend at work brought in her surplus apples from her allotment tree, or you can just use any apples to hand.

My biggest problem is MIL keeps picking stuff before its ready to "stop the birds getting everything". Hey, I'd rather the birds had the unripe blackberries as they're not really any good for eating

[bobbiwoz]

I gave up trying to grow my own blueberries. Robins especially would take them when they had the slightest bit of color. Then I bought a net, and when a bird's wing got stuck, I gave up. I let the bird go and took away the net. Surprisingly, I have not had trouble with birds taking raspberries.

[coolbreez]

I suspect that your thyme plant is dead. The green leaves are not any type of tyme plant leaf that I have ever seen.
I have grown what you are calling "commom thyme" from seed and in fact I have several different types of thyme around my patio.
I don't know what the composition is of the soil in your pot there, but thyme likes dry, somewhat chalky and un-rich ground to live in. Too much watering will kill it, in my experience.
My country is a moist one, to say the least, so tyme planted in the ground outside here struggles a bit to stay healthy.
Those green leaves look like a weed that we get here. It produces a small yellow flower (if left too long) and will spread like crazy if not kept in check.

Good luck with your plants there.