Content
- Preserve thyme and keep it properly
- Dry thyme
- Freeze thyme
- Make herbal cubes yourself
- Insert thyme
- Tips & Tricks
Preserve thyme and keep it properly
Extracting herbs and then preserving them ready to cook is not only fun, but also provides culinary variety. In particular, thyme can be preserved in a variety of ways - and even goes well with many, not just Mediterranean, dishes.
Dry thyme
Drying is probably the most common way to preserve thyme. But beware: unlike other herbs, the thyme aroma intensifies many times as soon as the leaves are dried. Therefore you should be more economical with dried thyme than with fresh ones. Harvest the whole sprigs of thyme with leaves and flowers, tie them into small posy leaves and leave to dry in a warm but dark place.Sunlight only ensures that the valuable essential oils evaporate. Once the thyme has dried, simply pluck the leaves and crumble them. Then you can keep the spice in a screw jar.
Freeze thyme
Thyme can also be frozen very well. To do this, pluck the fresh leaves, wash them, and then dab dry with some kitchen paper. Now you can shred the thyme as desired. To freeze, put the shredded thyme in a suitable container, for example a small box with a lid, a freezer bag (not very suitable for later smaller quantities) or simply place in an ice cube container. The herbs can be easily stored in an ice cube or freezer.
Make herbal cubes yourself
Herbal cubes are also very useful: Harvest fresh thyme and other herbs to taste (eg rosemary, oregano, lavender, basil, marjoram, lovage), chop them very finely and mix them with a little olive oil. You can also add very finely minced garlic and pieces of onion. Freeze this mixture in portions into small ice cube trays. The herbal cubes refine many dishes such as. B. noodle sauces, stews and casseroles.
Insert thyme
Not only practical, but also very pretty to look at - perfect as a homemade gift or souvenir - is inlaid thyme. For liquids such as vinegar, olive oil or honey, but also salt are suitable. Put a few stalks of fresh or dried thyme (or perhaps other herbs as you like) in a sealable glass container and top it up with vinegar or oil. Let it soak for a few weeks in a cool place. The herbal oil or the thyme vinegar is wonderful for refining food and salads or for frying.
Tips & Tricks
Try to make herbal salt yourself. To do this, take thyme and any other herbs you like, chop them very finely and mix them with sea salt in a ratio of 7: 1. Put the mixture in resealable containers and store in a cool and dry place. By the way, thyme salt is great for spicing up baked potatoes.