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What to do with thyme flowers?

17 years ago

After a few days of heavy rain, the thyme in our backyard is flowering like crazy. It was dry enough this morning so I went to nip them off to encourage leaf growth. Now I have a big bundle of thyme with flowers, what can I use them for? They smell good I guess I can dry them for the scent... but I am more interested in putting them into cooking. Any suggestions?

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Comments (6)

dgkritch
17 years ago
Anything you'd normally use thyme in!
Pretty on salads.

Deanna
lpinkmountain
17 years ago
Years ago I used to make honey lemon jelly (with liquid pectin) and suspend lemon thyme flowers in the jars. Didn't add much taste but looked kinda cool.
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Usually, this isn't at all the way my brain works, but the combination of thyme flowers and a patio might be a problem because of the bees. Right now my thyme is positively buzzing with the little creatures. You can hear it as you go down the walk. Since I'm using it as a groundcover, I walk past and look at the bees, and they probably ignore me. I wouldn't think it a particularly good idea to walk through there, though.
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Why do you dry your Thyme that is unless you are storing for later use. Fresh you can do the same tie with a long threat and toss it into the pot or lay it on your meat or on your coals while grilling. Or you can strip it from top to the bottom with no problem when fresh.
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Thyme, Doone Valley Thyme, Dot Wells Thyme, EUC Thyme, French Thyme, Golden lemon Thyme, Hi Ho Silver Thyme, Lemon Thyme Lemon Frost Thyme, minus Thyme, Orange Thyme, Spanish This is a list from Pete's Herbs near Charleston South Carolina. Has really nice plants. Minus is my new favorite -- it is the lowest growing spreading thyme I have ever seen. I have about a dozen different thymes all growing in pots (each in a seperate pot ) on my deck. I am on the line between zone 7b and 8a about 100 miles inland from Charleston. I recently purchased a plant called Cat Thyme, Teucrium marum -- grey cloor with pretty pink flowers -- "tag says more addictive than catnip!" I have found thymes to be hardy here and winter outside without problems. Prior to retirement I was in Ohio (Zone 5) and most but not all thymes surrived winter there too -- both in beds and pots -- but winter was hard on the clay pots. Here is a link that might be useful: Pete's Herbs
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Thyme is a wood perennial. It will continue to grow each year spreading by putting down roots where the longer shoots reach new ground. I tend to thin mine pretty hard in the fall to get rid of the woodiest chunks so that new, tender growth occurs in the spring. Sort of like a controlled fire in the woods. I let mine flower, but some people cut them off. You can eat the flowers, but I don't get much taste out of mine. Benign neglect is the secret to many perennial herbs. Tend them in fall and again in the spring and let them do what they want the rest of the year.
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Daisyduckworth
17 years ago
Ditto Deanna.

Use them to make flower vinegar:

Flower Vinegar
Many different flowers may be used to make a vinegar that is delicious and delicately tinted. Roses, violets, primroses, nasturtiums, lavender, clover, elder flowers, rosemary, or thyme flowers are all good choices.

Remove the stems and the green and white heels from the flowers or petals. If using large flowers, fill a wide-mouthed jar half or two-thirds full with the flowers, then pour either a good white wine vinegar or cider vinegar over the flowers to fill the jar, making sure the flowers are completely covered. The blossoms will sink to the bottom of the jar within a few days. When this occurs, you can add more flowers if you wish. Taste the vinegar regularly until it achieves the strength you want. Rebottle in clean, smaller bottles, adding fresh smaller food flowers to the liquid for decoration. If using small flowers, simply insert them into the bottle of vinegar without decanting it. A cup of flowers to 600ml of vinegar serves well. If possible, leave the jar or bottle of vinegar with the flowers added in the sun - it will help draw out the flavour of the blooms while they steep. Best if kept refrigerated.

Here is a link that might be useful: thyme flower recipes
jessicavanderhoff
17 years ago
I just read a blog about thyme flower ice cream!

http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2009/07/thyme-flower-ice-cream-glace-aux-fleurs-de-thym.html

Now, what can I do with cilantro flowers?? Throw them on top of a taco?
althetrainer
Original Author
17 years ago
Wow, thanks for all the suggestions! I will be happy to try them all... thou the idea of putting flowers in ice cream may not sit very well with my husband. LOL
Daisyduckworth
17 years ago
I'm not sure about thyme ice cream, but if you served hubby a rose-petal ice cream, he wouldn't complain too loudly! Blindfold him before he does the taste test, of course!

Hint: never answer the question 'What's in it?' until AFTER the family has tasted a dish and declared it delicious.

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