Growing your own herbs and then preserving them ready for cooking is not only fun, but also provides culinary variety. Thyme in particular can be preserved in many different ways - and goes well with many dishes, not just Mediterranean ones.
How can you preserve thyme?
You can preserve thyme by drying, freezing, as herb cubes, or pickled in vinegar, oil, honey or s alt. This preserves the taste and aroma and the herb can be used in various dishes.
Drying thyme
Drying is probably the most common way to preserve thyme. But be careful: In contrast to other herbs, the thyme aroma intensifies many times over as soon as the leaves are dried. That's why you should use dried thyme more sparingly than fresh. Harvest the whole thyme stems including leaves and flowers, tie them into small bouquets and let them dry in a warm but dark place. Sunlight only causes the valuable essential oils to evaporate. Once the thyme has dried, simply pick off the leaves and crumble them. You can then store the spice in a screw-top jar.
Freeze thyme
Thyme can also be frozen easily. To do this, pick off the fresh leaves, wash them and then pat them dry with some kitchen paper. Now you can chop the thyme as desired. To freeze, put the chopped thyme in a suitable container, for example a small container with a lid, a freezer bag (not suitable for removing smaller quantities later) or simply in an ice cube tray. The herbs can easily be stored in an ice cube tray or freezer.
Make your own herb cubes
Herb cubes are also very practical: Harvest fresh thyme and other herbs to taste (e.g. rosemary, oregano, lavender, basil, marjoram, lovage), chop them very finely and mix them with a little olive oil. You can also add very finely chopped garlic and onion pieces. Freeze this mixture in portions in small ice cube trays. The herb cubes refine many dishes such as: E.g. pasta sauces, stews and braised dishes.
Pickling thyme
Not only practical, but also very pretty to look at - perfect as a homemade gift or souvenir - is pickled thyme. Liquids such as vinegar, olive oil or honey, but also s alt, are suitable for this. Put a few stalks of fresh or dried thyme (perhaps other herbs of your choice) in a sealable glass container and fill it with vinegar or oil. Let the mixture steep in a cool place for a few weeks. The herbal oil or thyme vinegar is wonderful for refining dishes and salads or for frying.
Tips & Tricks
Try making herbal s alt yourself. To do this, take thyme and any other herbs you wish, chop them very finely and mix them with sea s alt in a ratio of 7:1. Pour the mixture into resealable containers and store in a cool, dry place. By the way, thyme s alt is great for seasoning fried potatoes.
