28 Sep How To Grow Thyme
Thyme is a great versatile herb that is popular in pastas and with meats; it adds that hearty flavor.
Medicinal and Nutritional Benefits
Thyme has many medicinal uses. Thyme can be used as eyewash to cure sore eyes and also as a hair rinse, to prevent dandruff. It has antispasmodic qualities, which provide relief to women during menstruation.
Thyme works as a tonic and stimulates the nervous system. It alleviates nervous disorders like nightmares, depression, nervous exhaustion, insomnia and melancholy. Thyme has been attributed to easing epilepsy, convulsions, menstrual cramps, spasm-induced coughing and diarrhea.
Culinary Uses
Thyme herb imparts intense flavor to the recipes and should be added sparingly. In order to keep the fragrance and flavor intact, thyme herb is generally added at the last moment in the cooking recipes. This is because, prolonged cooking results in evaporation of its essential oils.
A delicate looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, thyme is a wonderful addition to bean, egg and vegetable dishes. Some other great uses are:
- Add thyme to your favorite pasta sauce recipe.
- Fresh thyme adds a wonderful fragrance to omelets and scrambled eggs.
- Hearty beans such as 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.
Fun Fact
Thyme has a long and varied history of both medicinal and culinary use. Before the days of refrigeration, a drop of thyme volatile oil was placed in a gallon of milk to keep it from spoiling.