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My Favorite Herb: Thyme

December 16th, 2008

My favorite herb is lemon thyme. I always have a potted thyme around for quick harvest, it lives on the back porch in the summer and inside by the patio doors in the winter. I like all kinds of thyme plants, I have 5-6 different ones growing in the garden, but lemon is the one I have potted and always reach for when cooking.

It’s a beautiful herb with variegated leaves. It brightens the flavor of whatever soup or sauce you add it to. I will never be without a lemon thyme plant in my gardens.

Thymes are great in the garden. They’re hardy plants and they attract a lot of beneficial insects, mine are abuzz all summer with bees and butterflies. As with most herbs they are also not enjoyed by pests such as rabbits and deer. Most of them bloom, often in a purple color.

This Woolly Thyme has the greatest color and texture.

I also have creeping thyme in the garden, it’s great for hillsides, quickly spreading to cover the ground with a beautifully scented green carpet!

This is a Major Red’s Creeping Thyme, I just took this photo yesterday. Most thyme’s turn a beautiful shade of red or crimson in the fall/winter, as you can also see by the woolly thyme below.


What kinds of thyme grow in the gardens here at Chiot’s Run? Elfin Thyme, Major Red’s Creeping Thyme, Carpet Thyme, Lemon Thyme, and English Thyme. I would love to get some Coconut Thyme, Lime Thyme, French Thyme and some Orange Balsam Thyme. Papa Geno’s is a great place to find different kinds of thyme if you’re looking to expand your collection.

What’s your favorite herb?

8 Comments to “My Favorite Herb: Thyme”
  1. Allie on December 16, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    I love oregano. I always make sure to have some in the garden. I have some growing in a pot in the kitchen for the winter, but it’s not doing great. We just don’t get enough light here indoors.

    Lemon thyme is beautiful. I will have to try growing some next year.

    Reply to Allie's comment

  2. Judy on December 16, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    I love thyme and have 2 varieties in the herb garden but haven’t tried bringing it inside. It is well frozen now and covered in snow. I have a potted rosemary that we bring in and out- it would never survive the winters here. I generally have basil and parsley on the windowsill but we had an early cold snap and it got my basil before I brought it in. I need start some new.
    I love your pictures…beautiful!

    Reply to Judy's comment

  3. Susy on December 16, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    I also have a rosemary that I bring in. I have grown cilantro and basil in the house, but I usually just plant a bunch in the summer and harvest it and freeze it in oil.

    Reply to Susy's comment

  4. Jennifer on December 16, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    Rosemary! Our basil thrived and thrived this year (a first!), our thyme died, the oregano was neglected (so sad!) and the rosemary, well, I’ve had success with it before, but not this year. We go through rosemary like it’s going out of style in the kitchen though. Rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, basil and garlic and we’re all set! In a pinch just garlic and rosemary! :)

    Reply to Jennifer's comment

  5. Joe on December 17, 2008 at 4:18 am

    I definitely agree with you on thyme – it’s a wonderful herb! I use it a lot in cooking, in everything from soups to entrées. I only have “common” thyme in my garden (yes, it says “common” on the label, so I don’t know if that means English or French thyme). That lemon thyme looks great – I will plant some in the spring.

    P.S. Thanks for the link to Papa Geno’s!

    Reply to Joe's comment

  6. Lisa Marie on December 24, 2008 at 10:24 am

    I also have creeping thyme in the garden, it’s great for hillsides, quickly spreading to cover the ground with a beautifully scented green carpet!

    Reply to Lisa Marie's comment

  7. Harrison Ward on May 19, 2010 at 8:30 pm

    Herbs are really useful in getting nutrients naturally, some of them have medicinal properties too.-‘*

    Reply to Harrison Ward's comment

  8. Imogen Cooper on June 17, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    I love the smell and taste of Oregano when added in some recipes.,;”

    Reply to Imogen Cooper's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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