Thyme

Thyme is one of the best known herbs there is, but not only is it a pretty flowering herb to have in your garden, it is also good for lots of ailments.

Thyme is a perrenial plant which means it grows all the year round and doubles in size every year.
There are lots of different types of thyme you can grow and buy from the health shops.
I prefer to grow my own then I can nip outside and cut a bit off the plant for medicine or cooking with.

There are so many different types of thyme to choose from.
Common Thyme
Orange Thyme
Gold-varigated Thyme.
Creeping Thyme
Caraway Thyme
Lemon Thyme
and many more.

When you rub a thyme plant you can instantly smell the strong aroma of the plant, it's a sort of earthy antisceptic smell.
This makes it great for cooking with as it adds flavour to lots of dishes.
It can be used for Stews, Casseroles Soups and Scattered over roasted vegetables.

My favorite recipe is Creole Jambalaya

30g (1oz) butter or marg
1 large chicken breast, cubed.
200g (7oz) shopped ham
1 onion chopped
2 sticks of celery sliced small
1 diced green pepper
2 chopped spring onions
3 chopped cloves of garlic
1 and a half teaspoons of thyme
1 and a half teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon of sage
4 teaspoons of parsley
3 tomatoes skinned and chopped
1 pint of chicken stock or chicken oxo cube
half a teaspoon of black pepper
200g (7oz) of long grain rice
20 tiger prawns cooked and peeled.

Heat the butter in a large pan and add the chicken to cook slowly for about six minutes.
Then add the onion, celeryand green pepper, let it cook until it starts to brown then add all the herbs.
Cook for 5 minutes then add the tomatoes and stock, season and let the liquid come to the boil. Then add the rice.
Simmer it for 20 to 30 minutes, then add the prawns, simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often.
Then Serve.

You can also make an ointment with the thyme by melting down some vascoline and adding a strong infusion of the strained herb. Let it set again and it's ready to use on swellings, warts and sciatica.

Thyme is good for headaches, dizziness and flatulence. It can also be combined with other herbs to ease a bad cough.
My hubbie makes an infusion of thyme and nettles which he makes from the freshly picked leaves of both plants.
This infusion is then left to stand for twenty minutes and then he boils it down with honey to make a sticky toffee, which the kids love and so makes it easier to get them to take the medicine.
One teaspoon of this soft toffee mixture taken twice a day will shift any stubborn cough.
You notice the differerence after two days.

I love this herb it is so versatile and so good for you.