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Ideally, Common Thyme should be planted in a part of your garden which
doesn't get too much wind or dampness. In the winter, if the weather
is very cold or particularly wet, your thyme plants will be very grateful
for a cloche or some similar form of protection against the extremes.
Leaves
can be harvested for cooking use at any time of year, although any leaves
that you wish to dry and preserve should be picked before the plant flowers.
After flowering, cut the plant back by about a third, removing woody parts,
to encourage fresh growth.
Cooking
with Thyme
Thyme
is a sweet aromatic herb which forms, along with bay leaf and parsley, the
popular
bouquet garni herb sauce mix which compliments many meat
recipes. Common Thyme, (Thymus Vulgaris), is the species most often
used in cooking, but creeping wild thyme may also be used in culinary dishes.
Thyme
was known to the ancient Romans, who used it in culinary preparations,
as well as in aromatic liqueurs. Its young leaves give an agreeable
flavour to soups, and the leaves are also used in stuffings. It also
goes very well with chicken, turkey and lamb as well as fish and potato
dishes. Thyme should be added early in the cooking process so that
its oils have adequate time to be released. It stimulates the appetite
and contributes to digestion.
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