GARDENS & GARDENING
Sage ‘He that would live for aye, Must eat sage in May’- Old English Proverb.
Thyme ‘I know a bank where the wild thyme blows’ - William Shakespeare.
Lemon Thyme
The name derives from the Latin ‘salvare’ to save, and sage was also sacred to the Greeks and Romans, considered a preserver and giver of life.
Sage also aids digestion, which is why it is often cooked with fatty meats like pork, goose and duck, also to flavour sausages and stuffing for pork or poultry.
It was, and is, one of the most precious medicinal herbs. Since ancient times, this powerful antiseptic was used to keep teeth clean - it was actually used during the Occupation for this - and relieve sore gums. Best known for treating colds and sore throats, a tea with honey and a slice of orange or lemon is extremely effective for this. Many women find it soothes menopausal symptoms, especially hot flushes and night sweats.
Italians often fry it lightly in butter to pour over pasta, cook it with polenta or deep fry it as a crisp garnish. The ancient Provencal recipe ‘aigo bouido’ is used as a remedy for hangovers and exhaustion, and is simply garlic, sage and a little olive oil boiled for 15 minutes in a pan of water, strain, then gently pour over a fresh egg yolk. Stir until the yolk thickens the infused water.
In the Middle Ages, thyme was tucked under pillows to ensure a good night’s sleep, keeping nightmares away. Women gave their knights a sprig to put in their clothing or armour to fill them with courage. Powerfully antiseptic, it was also used as a strewing herb in times of plague throughout history.
Of course, no cook would be without thyme - an essential ingredient in a bouquet garni along with parsley and bay. Tie with string and add to casseroles, the flavours withstand long, slow cooking. Wonderful with most roasted meats or vegetables, and classic in stuffings and marinades.
It is one of its principal constituents, thymol, that is so effective, and today it is used in cough medicines and lozenges, mouthwashes and ointments. Like sage, it makes a wonderful infusion for sore throats to drink or gargle with. Anti-microbial, it also acts as an expectorant.
Za’atar is the Arabic name for wild thyme, and we know this now as a popular seasoning made with thyme, salt, sesame seeds and sumac to sprinkle over our dishes, or simply as a dip alongside olive oil and flatbreads. Delicious.
Once you have cooked with lemon thyme, it’s hard to be without it - the combination of the lemon flavour with the thyme creates a softer, gentler flavour. If you find a thyme tea or infusion too strong, use lemon thyme.
Try a simple vinaigrette with it - whisk 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Serve not just on salad, but with grilled fish or chicken, new potatoes, green beans, and my favourite - with carrots.
It is perfect tucked under the skin of a chicken for roasting, and is subtle enough to work with fish. Lemon thyme also works in sweet recipes biscuits, creamy desserts and cakes. It gives an earthy, herby flavour to homemade lemonade, and not to be forgotten in cocktails either...
It also contains the precious thymol, so has an antiseptic quality as does common thyme.
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