Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I asked my daughter to buy another thyme plant for the garden and she picked up lemon thyme by mistake. I've heard of it (in a movie, truth be told), but have never used it. Any ideas when it's interchangeable with regular thyme? I'm definitely not an intuitive cook as far as substitutions so I'm inclined to try and take it back and switch it for regular thyme. But perhaps I should expand my herb horizons?

Emilie

Emilie
If you already have a regular thyme plant in your garden, I would suggest you keep the lemon thyme and experiment. You can substitute one for the other and you will still have a thyme base with a subtle lemon flavor....break off a leaf and taste and smell the difference. It has a lemony fragrance and that's part of its charm.

We've grown lemon thyme along with regular thyme many times. It is definitely not a general 'sub' though; its lemony flavour is definitely strong enough to throw off some dishes, but of course enhance others. You can usually just kinda of go by what would go with your dish, and if lemon definitely isn't one of those things, don't use lemon thyme. It seems to me that the lemon part is pretty volatile and disappears when you cook it for a bit, but I could be dreaming.

Lemon thyme is excellent for salad dressings and fish, though. I used to have some before the bugs got it all.

I also have something which was billed as "lemon oregano", but it just tastes like regular oregano.

There is also lemon basil, which has a relatively strong flavour. Its OK too, though I think lemon thyme is more useful.

Lemon basil is good for SE Asian dishes.

There are actually several varieties of lemon thyme out there, but most of what is seen - with the the variegated leaves - is more of a creeping type of thyme, not getting as large as the regular English or French thymes. There are some lemon thyme varieties that are larger, and look pretty much the same, and maybe this is why we usually see the variegated one - to keep them separated! However, I have heard that by the third season or so, they will revert to dark green leaves, so be sure to grow them far apart, so you'll know where the different ones are.

It is supposedly hardy to zone 5, but it died by the second winter in my garden - zone 6B - while regular thyme kept right on going. And speaking of bugs, Fuzzy, I recall on some gardening forum somebody mentioning that the lemon thyme was decimated by some bugs, while the regular thyme was untouched, right next to it.

I tried growing lemon basil, for the SE Asian dishes I am always making, but it was the fastest basil of any to bolt. I found another named variety a few years later, but it was the same. So if I want lemon flavor I'll just use lemon peel or lemongrass (which I always have in excess!).

I love lemon thyme and usually grab it before the regular stuff. We have not had problems with bugs and it has come back as hardy as the regular thyme. Not sure of the difference between English and French thyme. I had both at one time, but they are so old now, the little markers are gone.

I've not seen lemon basil. I'd go for it too! Made my favorite pistachio basil pesto to go with some lemongrass poached halibut (sous vide) and had to add some lime in addition to the lemon. Lemon basil might have been handy. Our regular basil is beautiful now, as is our Thai and we have a purple one as well. Not sure what to do with that one.

Thanks for the great tips! Will definitely keep it. For some reason our thyme never grows really well and that's why I asked DD to buy another one. We'll see how the two plants do and I'll try to be creative in the kitchen at least occasionally

Emilie

Alina,

While pretty, the flavor of purple basil is very subtle. I'd recommend keeping it for fresh preparations; when I used it for, say, pesto in the past, it was too bland. It also wilts faster than other varieties once picked.