Thyme

Thyme is an extremely well known and popular culinary herb. It can be quite a decorative plant while it is growing and it is also quite easy to grow as well. If you are growing this nice herb, remember to keep an eye on it because bees just love Thyme.

Thyme is a popular herb to be used in stews, salads, meats, soups, and vegetables. It is a very common household herb and like many other herbs that are flavorsome, is a member of the mint family.

The plant is very aromatic and comes in many varieties, it is a frequently used herb in many fish dishes.

Funny enough as much as honey bees love to suck up the nectar from the Thyme plant, many other insects seem to loathe it. There are some people that have been known to make a mist spray of Thyme and water and use it as a bug repellent.

Different types of Thyme are available the year round, but many people prefer to grow their own. Nothing beats the smell and taste of fresh Thyme as long as you know to pick it just as the flowers start to appear.

Once fresh Thyme has been picked it should be stored in either a plastic bag in the crisper or stood straight up in a glass of water on the shelf in the refrigerator for easy access.

One small downside is, fresh Thyme does not have a very long shelf life, you will be lucky if it lasts you a week. If you have picked some fresh Thyme and decide to dry it then simply hang it upside down in a warm and dry atmosphere for about a week to ten days.

Then you can crumble it into a powdery form and store it in a sealed dark container, but do not keep it for more than six months. You should also get rid of the stems as they have a tendency to have a kind of woody taste to them.

On the medicinal side of things,Thyme has some medicinal purposes, such as, as an antiseptic and also an expectorant, it also has some deodorant properties as well.

When it is served up with with fatty meats Thyme has been known to aid in digestion too, especially with lamb, pork, and duck.

Herbalists have used this herb for things such as extracts, teas, compresses, for baths, and for gargles. More modern medicine has chimed in and verified that Thyme just might strengthen the immune system.

Thyme oils that have been distilled, have been used for the commercial use of antiseptics, toothpaste, mouthwash, gargle, hair conditioner, dandruff shampoo, potpourri, and insect repellant.

It is also been used in the production of certain expectorants that are prescribed for whooping cough and bronchitis. Thyme has also been used in part as an aphrodisiac and in aromatherapy oils as well.