Khandi, if you are using tender young thyme, just chop it stems and all. If the Thyme is a little more mature with "woody" stems, then it works to strip the leaves off the stem the way that you describe.

Ann

Okay thanks!

What about "pruning"? Or do I just let them grow as tall as they want?

Khandi I've been growing thyme for many years as it's my favourite fresh herb and I use it every day, growing it in windowsill pots as well as large patio pots. Mine never get to grow too tall because I snip off the long shoots for using in the kitchen, cutting them about halfway down the stem.

Pruning would be using the stalks in your cooking, not cutting them when not necessary unless you have a jungle growing there, in which case I would dry and freeze some. I chop it off by the handful and crumble it over chunks of potatoes, garlic, yam, onion and red peppers, dousing them with olice oil for roasting in my toaster oven.

I don't waste any thyme by pruning and throwing away the bits.....they always go into my dishes, stems and all.

SharonCb

Prune your thyme so it doesn't flower. That encouragers lateral growth, and keeps the flavor concentrated. Same with all your herbs, you don't want them to flower, that will dillute the flavor in the leaves. The plant will shift energy from leaf-making to seed-making if you let them flower. That's the rule for culinary herbs unless it is actually the seed or flower part you want to eat, like with caraway, for example.

It's easier to do the leaf stripping trick with larger, woody thyme branches. Doesn't work with the fresh new growth, that you can just chop up stems and all. You can dry it and then strip it, but you will have a lot less thyme at that point.

I love thyme!

Thanks. I will cut them a down a little cuz it's really growing!

The thyme plant was very hard to find here, as well as the sweet basil. Although they did have other types... darker basil and lemon thyme.

I've had bad luck trying to grown herbs for many years so I bought "ready to use" plants. Now I just don't want them to die on me! LOL

How often do you water them? Should the soil always be damp, wet? Or is it better to let it dry out then water, so as to not "weaken" the plant?

Herbs generally tolerate poor conditions (poor soil, less water available) better than most flowers or vegetables. I would water sparingly when the soil is dry to the touch when you stick your index finger down about 1-inch into the soil.

I usually grab the thyme sprig where it is thick enough to not break and strip off the lower leaves and toss the tender top of the sprig in to chop.

Thyme will only get to about 20cm tall, so it's not a problem letting it grow to optimum height. One of the reasons for the saying quoted above it that it propagates itself by layering. If a branch can stay permanently touching the soil, it will grow roots at that spot, and will become a new plant. It's easy just to cut off the baby from the mother and move it somewhere else.

Thyme is a short-lived perennial, and after about 3-4 years or so it will begin to die in the middle, and only the outer parts will look healthy. This is a result of the layering abovementioned. Just remove all the dead bits and the plant(s) will grow where you want them to.

For medicinal purposes, thyme should be harvested just before flowering, in summer. However, thyme does NOT lose its flavour once it has flowered. Which is just as well, because in my subtropical part of the world, thyme can flower for much of the year!

Only a mature thyme plant can tolerate drought conditions. I've actually found that it can be quite a thirsty plant. The important thing for it is to provide excellent drainage, so that excess water can drain away - it won't abide constantly wet feet. It loves full sun and plenty of heat - the more heat, the better the flavour.

Other replies are correct - harvesting for use, and pruning, should be one and the same thing. Thyme dries and freezes very well - but nothing compares with Fresh.

Khandi, all of the above.

However, when I pick some sprigs from my many many 20+ yr old plants, I nip off the top inch or so, the tender bits, and then hold the sprig at the top with one hand and pinch/slide of the rest of the leaves off by going down the stem...against the grain so to speak. Save the dried twiggies for putting on the coals when you grill or into a fireplace in the winter. Great scent.

I have had great success drying thyme to use in the winter when the plants here die back.
Cut bouquets of stems early in the morning, when it is freshest, but after the dew has dried off. Tie the bunches at the base with ordinary string, leaving long tails to hang them upside down with. I hang them from cup hooks in the ceiling of my pantry, which is quite dry. Anywhere that is clean and dry, where they won't be disturbed, will do.
When they are completely dry and crumbly (usually a couple of weeks in my house), lift them gently off the hooks, and drop them into a brown paper lunch bag. Then gently rub the bag between your palms, as if you were rolling ropes of dough, or making meatballs...
The dry leaves come right off the stems. Pitch the stems (unless you want to save them for tossing onto the grill) and strings, and pour the dry leaves into a clean glass jar, pop it into your spice rack, and use as you would the commercial dried leaves.
This method retains a surprising level of the flavor of fresh leaves.

Glad to know thyme doesn't loose flavor when it flowers, since I can hardly keep up with my lemon thyme flowering. Thanks for that tip Daisy. It seems like clipping the flowers does encourage more vegetative growth though. My lemon thyme is growing to beat the band thank goodness.

Don't forget that the flowers are edible, too!