05/21/2025
Time for Thyme
Bees love thyme. They love it!
Throughout the ages, it has been planted around bee-skeps in gardens both formal and rustic, especially in Europe and Britain. Medieval maids embroidered scarves with a bee-and-flower emblem to symbolize bravery, then gave the scarf as a gift to their favored knight.
Thyme was often invoked as a symbol of strength, courage and protection.
The history of thyme and the folklore surrounding it goes back millennia.
For example, 5000-year old cuneiform tablets from Sumer mention using thyme, figs and pears to make a poultice.
The ancient Chaldeans of Babylonia used thyme in consecration ceremonies and initiation rites.
Even the Egyptians got in on the thyme bandwagon – or should we say, sarcophagus, since it is believed to be one of the herbs used for embalming the dead.
Meanwhile back at the ranch in Bethlehem, thyme is believed to be one of the herbs in the manger of the Christ child.
Thyme was a common strewing herb in Roman households, a practice that was in use well into medieval times.
The learned mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen suggested using thyme as a treatment for “excessive” body lice; I wonder what an acceptable amount of lice might be?
Faeries like thyme too. Legend instructs us to place wild thyme across the eyelids and sleep on a faerie hill to see the fae at dawn. You can also use thyme to stuff a dream pillow.
Said to ease melancholy and depression, to promote safe dreams and prevent nightmares, thyme is also considered a sacred herb of the Druids.
Thyme in the Garden
Common Garden Thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is the variety that is the easiest to grow, especially for beginner gardeners.
Once you have started seeds, or made cuttings, or purchased your plant, it will need very little care except for watering, and actually prefers “poor” soil, meaning not overly rich or fertile.
Plant your thyme babies in a sunny location, in well-drained soil; if your soil has clay, then work a little sand or gravel into it before planting.
Sand and gravel also makes a good mulch for thyme, and so do pine needles.
Harvest sprigs of thyme for cooking anytime, but to dry a supply to use over the winter, harvest mid-morning after the dew has dried, and before the plant has fully bloomed; you may get a second cutting later on.
A fall “haircut” for shaping is also a good idea.
Come winter, mulch with straw or pine needles if necessary, but not until the plant is dormant; otherwise you might harbor pests of one sort or another.
Many varieties of thyme are hardy to Zone 4.
Common thyme can be tucked into all sorts of places in the garden, and the sprawling types are sturdy enough to plant between pavers and walkways.
Thyme loves stony crevices, rock walls, hollows, grottoes, nooks, crannies, and is a suitable edging plant where is softens harsh lines and angles.
Most thymes don’t creep, but spread and grow slowly with age. It also grows well in containers, and is said to be a companion ally to eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes.
The mossy creepers are great to grow between raised beds.
Thyme is a traditional kitchen garden plant.
And did I mention that bees love it!
Bees are essential for pollinating an endless variety of food plants, so the more the merrier.
Choosing thyme based on foliage color, blossom color, variegation, leaf size and shape, and flavor could be the obsession of a season or a lifetime, or should I say life-thyme.
There are approximately 200-400 species of thyme, plus numerous cultivars. The discrepancy in numbers is because positive identification can be difficult even and especially amongst experts.
Some of the more common varieties of T. vulgaris include English thyme, English Winter Thyme, English Wedgewood, Broad leaf English, Miniature English Narrow Leaf, French Thyme, Narrowleaf French Thyme, De Provence, German Winter Thyme and Summer Thyme.
There is a thyme-flavored thyme, an oregano-flavored thyme, orange thyme, lemon thyme, coconut thyme, and rosemary-scented sauce thyme.
And of course, Mother-of-Thyme.
Some interesting species of thyme from around the world include:
T. azoricus – Azores thyme, Cretan thyme. Tangerine-like scent. “Celery thyme” is one cultivar.
T. broussonetti – Pine-scented thyme. Native to North Africa. A many-branched shrublet.
T. capitatus – Za’atar farsi, Persian hyssop. Mediterranean origin. The essential oil called “Spanish origanum oil” comes from this plant.
T. herba-barona – Caraway thyme. From Corsica. Also called “seed-cake thyme” and “Herbe Baronne”.
T. membranaceus – Native to Spain, and found uup at 6000-ft. elevation.
T. quinquecostatum – Ibuki-jakô-sô. Native to central Asia.
Thyme to Cook
Perhaps you have heard of the Syrian herb blend called Z’atar or Za’atar, which is a mixture of sumac, sesame seed, wild thyme and a little salt.
The thyme growing wild in the mountains of Lebanon might be from the Thymus family, or it might be a fragrant herb of the oregano family, Origanum syriaca, which is also called zaatar or za’atar, with a taste like that of savory, oregano and thyme.
Za’atar is used for dipping or sprinkling on fresh-baked flatbreads, or as a topping for cucumbers and other salads.
Every local cook has their own favorite combination, which varies depending on what is available.
You can buy the blend in middle-eastern or specialty-food markets, or by mail order.
Without surprise, the Arabic word for thyme-herb is za’tar.
“When in doubt, use thyme” is the cook’s mantra.
Try it on easy oven roasted potatoes, use it to season chicken, in soups such as clam chowder, and in beef dishes such as Boeuf Bourginon (beef braised with red wine and mushrooms in the French style).
I have read that amongst the aristocrat society of colonial Virginia, our happy songbird the robin was cooked and flavored with thyme and parsley, and that they are all dark meat.
Mushrooms also like thyme; see The Wild & Weedy Apothecary for the delicious recipe, Morel Mushroom Gratin, which features thyme along with the ambrosial spring morel.
What follows is a recipe for a mouth-watering herbal combination with thyme as the headliner, a blend I think you’ll find a number of uses for, including the above mentioned roasted potatoes.
Try it on popcorn along with the brewer’s yeast!
The herbs called for are dried and crushed; don’t use powdered unless called for.
Cajun Spice Blend
1/2 cup thyme
1/4 cup oregano
1/4 cup garlic granules
1/4 cup onion flakes
1/4 cup sea salt
1/4 cup paprika, preferably hot
1 tablespoon cayenne powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then spoon into small jars for dispensing. Makes about 2 cups.
Thyme is a flavorful addition to apple jelly. It is also one of the herbs used in Benedictine liqueur.
Use thyme to make to make the following, a uniquely-flavored festive punch.
Ginger-Thyme Punch
1 quart white grape juice, preferably organic
1 pint thyme tea, cooled
1 12-ounce bottle ginger ale
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced according to size
To make the thyme tea, take 1 pint cold water and bring it to a boil (don’t use an aluminum pan).
Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon dried thyme; cover and steep for about 10 minutes.
Strain into a clean jar and allow to cool.
When the tea is cool, take a large serving bowl, fill with ice, add all the ingredients, stir and serve.
Makes about 2 quarts.
Another beverage use for thyme is a Lemony Cold & Flu Tea with Sage and Thyme:
Squeeze half a lemon for juice, set aside. Boil 1 cup water, add 1 tablespoon chopped lemon peel, and a pinch of thyme and sage (fresh or dried).
Steep 15 minutes, strain. Then add the lemon juice and a small dab of honey.
Drink warm twice a day.
Another important variety of thyme for the kitchen which I only briefly mentioned is Lemon Thyme, Thymus x citriodorus, which is a hybrid of T. pulegioides (wild thyme or creeping thyme, and native to Europe) x T. vulgaris (although this hybridization is up for debate as current DNA evidence suggests that Lemon Thyme is it's own species).
There are several varieties including golden and variegated. This herb is yet another dimension of the pungent thyme flavor with a distinct lemony aroma and flavor.
And bees love it too; I have sat, captivated, watching the bees move amongst and between the flowering, shrubby plants, a quiet drone of cooperative effort all for the common good.
It made me hungry for cookies.
Lemon Thyme Cookies
2 ½ -3 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 – 1 cup sugar (to taste)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons dried lemon thyme
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar and salt.
Cream the butter with the sugar, adjusting the amount of sugar to your liking.
Add egg and mix well; stir in lemon thyme. Add flour to butter mixture to make a dough stiff enough to roll into logs about 1½ -inches across, then wrap and chill at least 2 hours to overnight (very convenient).
When ready to bake, heat oven to 350-degrees F.
Slice dough logs crosswise into ½-inch slices.
Place on a greased cookie sheet with a little room for spreading, and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Cool on rack.
Enjoy these gems with a cup of lemon thyme tea.
A fun, crafty way to prepare thyme for kitchen use during the winter is to make a dried “bouquet garni”.
Using butcher’s twine, take a few springs each of fresh thyme and parsley, a sprig of fresh rosemary, and a bay leaf, and tie them rather tightly as they will shrink a bit, forming little herbal sprays, then hang or spread them somewhere dark and airy to dry for a couple weeks.
Store in brown bags until ready to use or give as gifts.
Thyme for Healing
Common thyme is a very useful remedy for relief from bronchitis and minor chest congestion, spasmodic cough, and general stuffiness. It can be used both internally and externally.
Thyme contains about 2.5% essential oil, most notably the volatile oil constituent thymol, which is a powerful germicide.
Thyme essential oil (up to 40% thymol) destroys some fungi, some bacteria (in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus), shingles virus (herpes zoster), and also mosquito larvae.
Many other herbs contain thymol, including caraway, basil, marjoram, cumin and mint.
Thyme essential oil also contains phenol, another antiseptic compound.
Thymol is found in many over-the-counter products including toothpaste, v***r rubs and Listerine mouthwash.
There are some precautions to take before using thyme as a home remedy.
Do not use thyme in therapeutic doses, or eat more than a pinch at a time such as for culinary use, during pregnancy.
NEVER use thyme essential oil internally.
That being said, using thyme is safe and healthful when used in the doses and amounts specified below.
A thyme tea or mild infusion is a specific remedy for bronchitis and chest congestion, helpful for headache accompanied by fever.
It can also be used as a decongestant for stuffy nose.
Simple Thyme Tea
Boil 1 pint water, remove from heat, add 1 tablespoon dried thyme herb, cover and steep for 10 minutes.
Strain and add a dab of honey to taste; have a hot cup at bedtime and be ready to sweat it out.
This tea can also be used as a gentle anti-spasmodic to help relieve period pain and other achiness.
Unsweetened, this mild tea can also be used as a mouthwash to help eliminate thrush.
Thyme can also be used externally, for many of the same reasons you’d use it internally.
For instance, antiseptic thyme infusion (1 ounce dried thyme to 1 quart of water, prepared the same as for tea except steeped for 20 minutes), or even a simple tea, is an excellent wash for minor wounds and abrasions.
Thyme is an excellent herb to use as a steam inhalant for congestion.
The infusion or tea also makes a good skin freshener.
Thyme can be used in the bath as a stimulating diaphoretic – it will make you sweat.
A good herbal bath combination for this includes thyme, lavender, comfrey and mint. Thyme also makes a nice healing bath for psoriasis and eczema when combined with comfrey root, oats (rolled oats or dried green “milky” oats) and marshmallow root or hollyhock root.
A decoction for the bath is made thusly:
Boil 1 quart of water, add about 2 handfuls dried herb or herb combination, cover and remove from heat; steep for about 20 minutes then strain into a tub of warm water, and slip in.
You can take the thyme infusion and use it to make a compress, which can then be applied to the lower back for sciatic pain.
To make a compress, simply take a soft towel or cloth, dip it into the very warm infusion, carefully wring out, then lay on the area affected; cover with another towel.
Keep the infusion warm and replace the compress (before it gets too cool) with another warm one until you you feel some relief, maybe 3 or 4 rounds.
This compress can also be used on the chest for coughs and on the abdomen or lower back for menstrual cramps.
You can use thyme to make an herbal hair rinse that I call “Scarborough Hair” which is an infusion of parsley for shine, sage for cleansing, rosemary as a tonic, and thyme as a mild antiseptic. Please note that this combination is best used on dark hair, and can also help reduce dandruff.
Thyme infusion can be used as a household cleaner.
Use this brew to wash sinks and faucets, doorknobs and light switches, during a bout of flu in the home.
It is safer than most anti-bacterial chemical sprays, and smells better too.
I like to use a few drops of thyme essential oil in a bucket of water for mopping floors too.
You can use thyme as incense as well, to fumigate and “cleanse” the air, physically and energetically.
A simmering potpourri using thyme will accomplish the same thing; as an aroma-therapeutic remedy, it will enhance physical stamina and reduce chronic fatigue and exhaustion.
© Doreen Shababy
