Generally, thyme is
used sparingly, as a background flavor. It is one of the few herbs
that may be simmered in slow-cooking stews, soups and sauces. Along
with bay, parsley and chives, thyme becomes the seasoning staple known as
"fines herbes". One writer describes the taste of thyme as
delicately green with a faint clove aftertaste. The whole herb is
used, fresh and dried. It is a vital flavoring for French, Creole
and Cajun foods. Use it to flavor stuffings, clam chowder, sauces,
pickles, stews and soups. Caraway thyme, know as Herbe Baronna, is
the choice for seasoning beef on the continent.
A property of thyme, thymol, is also
known as a preservative of meat. The Spanish employ thyme in the
pickle juice used to preserve olives. Fresh leaves and sprigs can be
tossed into green salads. Because of its citrus overtones, the
variety identified as Lemon Thyme (T. Citriodorus) excels at
flavoring fish, chicken and other white meats. Other varieties
lesser known with lemony overtones include: T. X C. ‘Aureus’, a golden
variegated-leaved cultivar; T. X ‘Golden Lemon’ and
T. X ‘Clear Gold’, low-growing thymes with yellow-green leaves. The
‘Clear Gold’ comes in both an upright and a creeping form. Long ago,
the Romans used thyme as an aromatic flavoring to cheeses and liqueurs.
Well loved by bees, thyme blossoms produce a honey of special flavor and
sweetness.
Just as popular as a medicinal,
Culpepper said, “Thyme is a noble strengthener of the lungs, as notable
one as grows, nor is there a better remedy growing for whooping cough.”
In WWI, the essential oil of thyme was used effectively on the battlefield
to save lives. Thymol, a major constituent of Oil of Thyme, is a
powerful antiseptic for both internal and external uses.
Traditionally, a syrup made with fresh, pounded herb has been used
successfully against the dreaded whooping cough. Some herbalists
prescribe a tea for shortness of breath and congested lungs. Nothing
can soothe a sore throat or relieve wind spasms quite like a cup of warm
thyme tea. Its antispasmodic qualities make it effective in
relieving asthma and stomach cramps. Inflammations and sores may be
soothed by a poultice made by mashing the leaves into a paste. Thyme
was once used to cure hookworm; there is a fatal danger in the strong
dosage needed to expel the worms, so this usage has been discontinued.
Thyme’s major ingredient, thymol, has been
employed as a deodorant. Thyme is also believed to improve the
eyesight and is reputed to be taken for toning up the reproductive system.
As an ingredient of herbal tobacco, thyme is good for digestion, headaches
and drowsiness. Thyme pillows were thought to relieve epilepsy and
melancholy. A hot cup of thyme tea is a good pick-me-up for
wearisome and trying days. Try putting some fresh sprigs of thyme
into a facial steam for toning up the skin. Its fragrant oil is used
extensively to scent soaps, cosmetics and rice powder. Commercially,
Germany is the biggest exporter of thyme for the industry, with the area
of Nimes, France being a center for the distillation of the oil of thyme from the plant.
Other uses for thymol include the making of colognes, aftershave lotions
and we all know that thyme makes an important contribution to potpourris
and those beneficial closet bags.
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GROWING TIPS:
A small,
many-branched, aromatic shrub, thyme is perennial and rarely grows
over a foot in height. It has oblong-lanceolate leaves
opposite each other on nearly stalk-less stems. Its flowering
season is in June and July. During its flowering season, it
produces clusters of numerous, tubular, lilac to pink blossoms under
1/4 inch in length. Native to the western Mediterranean region
and widely cultivated, naturalized patches have also been sighted in
western Massachusetts. It has plant hardiness from zone
5 to zone 9 and grows well in light, dry, well-drained soil situated
in full sun to partial shade. Propagate by root division of
established plants anytime from mid-spring to early summer or
cuttings of 3-inch pieces from stems with new green growth.
Place the cuttings in wet sand and keep moist until they show new
top growth. |
When attempting to differentiate the many
varieties, thymes get confusing. Some generalities I have absorbed
in researching this article follow. English and French Thyme are
both forms of Thymus vulgaris; other cultivars of hybrids of T. vulgaris
include: T. X citriodorus - lemon-scented and pink flowers; there is both
a green-leaved and a variegated variety. T. X C. ‘Silver Queen’ with
silvery, variegated leaves. Among the creeping thymes, Caraway Thyme (T. Herba-baronna) is the best known. Harriet Phillips who
has
completed her doctorate in identification and classification of the
thymes notes in an article that Nutmeg Thyme is actually the female form
of Caraway Thyme. Crimson Thyme (T. S. Coccineus) has dark green
leaves and is covered with small red flowers all summer. White Thyme (T. S. Albus) has tiny light-green leaves with a profusion of white
flowers. Both of these spread into fragrant mats within weeks.
Wooly Thyme (T. Lanicaulis) has soft, silvery, blue-green leaves
and purplish flowers. Mother-Of-Thyme (T. Praecox) has more
varieties than any other thyme. Its flowers come in shades of rose,
lavender and purple.
Speaking from experience, no matter how
much thyme you grow, there never
seems to be enough; and there are so many interesting varieties that you
could concentrate on just collecting these delightful herbs. Someday
I hope to have a "thyme lawn". A dense covering of fragrance that
needs no clipping other than the removal of dead flower-heads after its
profuse blooming.
