Thyme, fresh

Fresh thyme is a woody-stemmed herb whose small leaves are stripped from the stem and added whole or chopped to soups, stews, roasted vegetables, and marinades for chicken, lamb, and pork. Its earthy, slightly minty and peppery flavor holds up to long cooking, which is why it is often added early to braises and stocks rather than sprinkled on at the end like more delicate herbs. Whole sprigs are commonly tied into a bouquet garni with bay leaf and parsley, then removed before serving, and thyme pairs naturally with lemon, garlic, olive oil, and root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots.

Choose fresh thyme with green, pliable leaves and no yellowing or wilting, and store it wrapped loosely in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper, where it keeps for one to two weeks. Because a typical serving is just a teaspoon of leaves, thyme contributes flavor rather than bulk to a meal, though per 100 g it carries 14 g of fiber and shows 178% DV vitamin C and 97% DV iron. A few sprigs stirred into a pot of beans or a roasting pan of vegetables is an easy way to build flavor into a dish, with only 9 mg of sodium per 100 g.