Tag: thyme

Gardening

Thyme: From pot to cupboard

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five sprigs of time on a wood background

Just as menus change seasonally – from crisp salads with freshly picked mixed greens and vibrant plump berries to hearty, wintery weather stews – my choice of herbs also shifts. Dried dill is among our often-used winter herb adding a smidge of flavor in a vegetarian quiche or a sprinkling of color to fresh Spätzli. Whereas thyme is a nearly daily summer additive on lightly sautéed yellow squash or roasted green beans (each later garnished with 25-year-old balsamic vinegar), it tends to be rare in my winter recipes.

Regardless of the season, basil and oregano are cooking staples and each has, for years, transitioned from backdoor terracotta pots to the kitchen shelf. For the first time and in an effort to prolong the lazy days of summer and its menus, I dried some of the potted English thyme.  It took two harvestings as the first snipping of tiny, dried leaves filled less than a quarter of one 5-ounce glass bottle.  With the words of the brilliant songwriter Jim Croce in my head while carefully monitoring the oven drying so as not to char the fragrant herb, I have thymus vulgaris in a bottle.

Gardening

Edible Fruit:   Cucumbers

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green cucumber with yellow bud watercolor painting on a pale cream background

Inspired by Mike Wohnoutka’s “cute little cucumber in watercolor,” I conducted a culinary cucumber audit.  I can count on one hand, fingers only without even using my opposable thumb, the recipes I use featuring cucumbers, a favorite in our summer garden.

  • The most prevalent and showing up almost daily is a cold cucumber salad, ala Grandma Kuster, with thinly sliced cucumbers, salt, pepper, and vinegar.  (I always use my thyme & peppercorn infused apple cider vinegar that I put up the previous growing season.)  Quick adds might include dried or fresh dill, chives, finely chopped green peppers, or bits of tomato making the salad look like the Italian flag.
  • Cucumber sandwiches for the English high tea at church complimenting the Yorkshire Gold tea, scones, clotted cream, and a delicious assortment of other sweet and savory delectable treats.
  • Cold cucumber soup – refreshing on a muggy day.
  • Tzatziki – that tasty blend of grated cucs, Greek yogurt, lemon, dill, and garlic, delicious on grilled vegetables or spread on pita wedges.

Mike is an award-winning author and illustrator.  A talented Minnesota treasure!  Check out the Goodreads list of his books.

Graphic credit:  © Mike Whonoutka

Gardening

A productive morning…

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… fresh from the garden direct to the kitchen!

four vinegar bottles on wooden table with a sprig of thyme
The robust potted thyme has been paired with apple cider vinegar and black peppercorns creating this summer’s herb infused vinegar.

five round rhubarb scone on a blue plate on a purple background
The last harvesting of this year’s rhubarb has been transformed into Rhubarb Pecan Scones and then tucked away for a chilly winter solstice breakfast. 
Gardening

Sage

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Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme . . .  

a small sprig of silvery green sage leave on an olive wood board

I have often wondered if the combination of these Scarborough Fair herbs in the traditional folk song, adapted by Simon and Garfunkel in 1966, was simply lyrical or a lost recipe for a marvelously concocted love potion.  The parsley, rosemary, thyme referred to in the popular song lyric are garden favorites and each fall my rosemary plant migrates to the basement to continue producing under a timed gro-light.

As botanical siblings neither sage nor mint are among my triumvirate of favorite herbs – basil, oregano, and thyme.  This summer’s sage was planted simply as a decorative variation in the greenery among my herbal pots. But, because I have it, I am drying a handful of leaves from my back door crop to preserve a touch of this summer’s wealth.  According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “in medieval Europe, sage was thought to strengthen the memory and promote wisdom” so it may be good for something other than Thanksgiving stuffing.

Gardening

Morning Harvest

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flat straw basket setting on gravel and holding green beans, tomatoes, red peppers and a spring of thyme

With Boston looming large on my calendar, followed by a week at home and then flying to Montréal, (I am still befuddled as to how I have 13 travel days in just one month) I am focused on home-centered tasks; the garden this morning and moving furniture this afternoon to prepare for the new living room floor.

  • Green beans – picked, blanched and frozen although an evening’s serving size has been set aside to sauté with thyme.
  • Blueberries – harvested and baked; this time in scones.
  • Tomatoes – just for eating; and likewise
  • Peppers – ready for some dish yet to be selected for our summer dining menus.
Gardening

Backdoor garden

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Oregano & Nasturtiums
Basil – fresh in the pot
Basil – dried & ready for the jar

The potted herbs clustered around the backdoor are mid-summer hearty and offer a veritable Pantone spectrum from dusty silver sage to vibrant Genovese basil – my version of “50 shades of green.” 

The basil crop is the best I have ever grown although, as to what might be different, I cannot claim credit as a variety of factors are equal – bought at same greenhouse as previous years, planted in the large Italian terracotta pot that formerly held a St. Thomas, V.I. lime tree from Dad, and tucked under the wind chimes on the left side of the doorway.  Every day with easy morning sun and cool afternoon shade.  

In an attempt to capture the lazy summer day in a jar, this morning’s task included harvesting and drying fresh basil.  Great for aromatic hearty winter stews or tasty marinara sauce garnished pasta.

Happy Gardening and Bon Appétit!

PS – Ever the librarian, my backdoor crop in alpha order:  basil, bay leaf, dill, nasturtiums (although technically not an herb but an edible flower – both leaf and blossom), oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.