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The thyme herb is one of the most versatile of herbs, whether in the kitchen, the garden or a container. There are literally hundreds of species and cultivars of thyme herb, from relatively large-leaved mother-of-thyme (T. pulegioides) and tiny-leaved T. minus to the small, shrublike culinary thyme herb (T. vulgaris).
Thyme herbs are rarely used as the major flavoring agent in cooking; instead it is used to enhance the flavor of other herbs. Some interesting variations on the basic thyme herb flavor include caraway thyme (T. herbabarona) and the difficult to find lemon thyme (T. citriodorus).
Thyme herb plants are hardy perennials but they need renewal every three or four years, since they have a tendency to get very woody. The herb thyme prefers a light sandy soil, very well drained, and full sun.
The two main varieties of the herb thyme, both equally good, are English, or Winter, thyme and the French or Summer thyme. The English thyme herb is difficult to start from seed. It can be propigated more easily from cuttings or division of the whole plant and it reaches about 10 inches in height. French, or Summer, thyme is quite easy to germinate from seed and will grow to about 18 inches tall. It can also be started from cuttings, stool layering or division. In either case, when transplanting divisions, be sure to bury all the woody parts of the stems.
Thyme herb is used in the kitchen for flavoring many different types of cuisine from around the world. It is used in medicine and industrially to make perfumes, deodorants and insecticides. Interesting to note, it is also used in embalming fluids and in preserving tissue specimens.
If you can find the lemon thyme herb, be sure to get the bushy type and not a lemon-scented creeping thyme. Lemon thyme herb looks different from other varieties with a "softer" growth than the common thymes and a paler tone to the leaves. Lemon thyme cannot be grown from seed and must be propagated from cuttings or division of the whole plant.
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