Q&A for How to Prepare and Store Fresh Thyme

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  • Question
    How can I make it stay fresh for more than a week?
    Helen Rennie is a chef based in Natick, Massachusetts. She is both the owner of a cooking school and the creator of Helen’s Kitchen, a YouTube channel where she teaches cooking techniques and food science to over 560K subscribers. Helen’s classes and videos focus on many topics, including knife skills, fish, meat, poultry, sauces, vegetables, beans, grains, pies, tarts, pastry, pizza, pasta, grilling, and more. She started her cooking career with an internship in Casablanca Restaurant, and eventually earned a teaching position at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In 2005, she founded Helen's Kitchen, her culinary education business where she teaches people to cook. Since its founding, Helen’s Kitchen has taught 1,000+ students. Helen's cooking philosophy centers on finding creative ways to prepare local ingredients. She teaches cooking classes in her house in Natick with a strong focus on culinary techniques and food science. She received a BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
    Chef
    Expert Answer
    You can keep your thyme fresh for more than a week, and store it in an airtight container like a ziploc or a sealable plastic bag. The goal is to prevent it from drying out, so sealing it properly helps lock in moisture. You could even wrap the sprigs lightly in a damp paper towel before placing them in the bag for extra freshness. Just make sure it’s not soaking wet—moist, not dripping. Pop the bag into the fridge, and it should easily stay good for a week, maybe even longer. As long as it’s sealed tight, you’re golden.
  • Question
    Can I grow store-bought Thyme at home?
    Robert Anderson
    Horticulture & Gardening Expert
    Robert Anderson is a Horticulture & Gardening Expert based in Lexington, Kentucky. He worked as a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Kentucky for 31 years. In addition to his teaching duties, he worked on growing flower varietals and vegetables in greenhouses, and conducted university research projects. His specialties include cut flowers, bedding plants, and hydroponics. He managed the houseplant collection and completed many field trials of garden flowers at Kentucky. He received a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Florida.
    Horticulture & Gardening Expert
    Expert Answer
    Yes! You just have to find a sunny spot—either indoors by a bright window or outside in your garden. First, carefully remove the thyme plant from its store container, being gentle with the roots. If the roots are compacted, loosen them slightly. Then prepare your pot with some good drainage holes or a garden bed with well-draining soil. Thyme likes soil that's slightly sandy, so you can mix in a bit of sand to improve drainage. Dig a small hole just big enough for the roots, place the thyme in, and fill the hole with soil, pressing lightly around the base. Water it well, but don't overdo it—thyme prefers to dry out between watering. At first, keep an eye on the moisture level, and once it's established, thyme is pretty low-maintenance. Give it plenty of sunlight and trim the stems occasionally to encourage bushier growth.
  • Question
    I would like to know how to pick thyme off of the plant.
    Community Answer
    It is very easy! Simply pluck a leaf off of the plant, and use it for cooking.
  • Question
    For how long can I keep fresh thyme in the fridge?
    Community Answer
    If you wrap it in a paper towel and put it in a plastic bag, it can last up to two weeks.
  • Question
    Do I just leave fresh thyme leaves out on a plate from my garden to dry for tea?
    Destiny Anne Greengtski
    Community Answer
    If you want to dry an herb, you would want to hang them in bunches from your garden upside down to dry.
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