Spring Thyme

About Lemony Thyme

My love of vegetables developed very early on.  My mom’s parents, Nana and Boppy, had an incredible garden.  As far back as I can remember we, the grandchildren, helped out in the garden.  I had no idea at the time that learning how to tell if a carrot was ready to be pulled, or feeling the thrill that comes from turning over a pitch fork and finding little potato treasures, or the sheer goodness of the biggest most beautiful blueberries bursting in your mouth….would lead to a lifetime of food true love.

What I also recall is that as children we loved vegetables, more so than any of our friends.  What I didn’t pick up on was that butter wasn’t a side dish in all homes, like it was in ours.  We gobbled up carrots, peas, beans, asparagus, potatoes, cabbage, even turnips…. all smothered in buttery goodness.  It’s taken nearly 40 years to learn how to replace some (not all) of the butter with my new best friends….. fresh herbs.

Let me introduce you to our favorite Lemon Thyme, the species also known as Thymus x citriodorus, however fondly referred to in our kitchen as “Lemony Thyme.”  This amazing herb gives life to everything it touches.  Rub your fingers through its tiny leaves and you’ll know why.  We include it in everything from Salads to Soups to Seafood to Bath Salts (we’ll save that one for another thyme).

My cooking rose to a new level when I started incorporating fresh herbs.  I began to understand the term ‘layers of flavors’ and found myself deconstructing dishes with my tongue to identify each ingredient.  I was blessed with fresh herb porch-gardens one spring that changed our cooking lives.

Please know that I have no formal cooking training. My recipes have not been scrutinized in a test kitchen and volumes may vary slightly from the recipe listed, according to taste.  However, I am a self-proclaimed eating expert (or at least above average eater).  I’m not afraid to tackle most any recipe and encourage my friends to do the same (though I may never debone a duck). Looking for recipe ideas we’ve got them…looking for exact we’re not it.

I must admit that most of our recipes are inspired by photographs. Either from our treasured collection of cookbooks, various cooking magazines (I may have a slight addiction) or Google Image searches for ingredients in our fridge/pantry.  We see it, if it looks good, we research how to make it and pull together the best of many recipes or personal taste bud experiences.  Because we eat with our eyes first, as our cooking has evolved so has our presentation.  After all, looking good is right up there with tasting good.

Here are my favorite posts sharing my love of fresh herbs and how to enjoy them all year round.

Fresh Herbs Frozen in Butter & Olive Oil

Fresh Herbs {Growing, Harvesting, Using, Storing, Freezing and Drying}.

Dried Fresh Herbs

Autumn Time {Drying Fresh Herbs}.

Winter Thyme Wind

Winter Thyme {A Spice Exploration}.

37 Comments

  • Pat Scheriff

    June 21, 2018 at 8:43 am Reply

    I’m happy to say that my second attempt at an herb garden is producing some very nice results this year. I now have a healthy crop of parsley, sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme (lemon and English), tarragon and lavender. I was searching online for a recipe for sage and shrimp and came across your Sage Brown Butter Shrimp Scampi. I made it last night and not only was it delicious but so easy to make. Thank you! I look forwarding to trying more of your recipes.
    .

  • Talia S

    December 28, 2015 at 11:15 am Reply

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  • Amanda Silver

    December 16, 2015 at 5:38 pm Reply

    My name is Amanda and I’m part of the marketing team at Chicory. We recently came across your site and would be thrilled to get you on our recipe partner team, a community of 275+ bloggers and recipe sites who are using our technology to make their recipes shoppable.

    Here’s a little bit on what we do: we’re a food tech startup in NYC who have developed a plugin that enables your readers to order the ingredients they need to cook your recipes and have them delivered next day from online grocers like Peapod and Amazon.

    As food bloggers ourselves, we pride ourselves on offering a value proposition that we hope you find meaningful (though we’re always eager to hear from you to see what would help make Chicory worth your while!):

    In terms of compensation, we offer a dynamic eCPM-based structure. Your rate is determined daily based on your level of traffic + engagement with our button. If you are curious how much you would earn each month Chicory, let us know. We’d be happy to give you an estimate.

    We also are committed to helping bloggers build their traffic and so we share your recipes (always with a link-back, of course) on our growing social media channels and in email newsletters.

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    Sign up is super simple. It’s just a matter of filling out our form and then installing/activating our plugin, which takes just a moment or two! And if you install by January 1, we’ll send you $15 to try out a Chicory recipe order for yourself! http://chicory.co/become-a-chicory-recipe-partner/

    Like I said, we’d love to get Chicory on your site. I’m always here to answer any questions you might have and, of course, we’re eager to hear from you about what you think about our product. Thanks so much for your time and I hope that we might chat more soon!!

  • Rese

    April 17, 2015 at 6:36 pm Reply

    I love you. You’re my new best friend :) I found you after a long week of terror I will affectionately dub “sore-throat-from-hell-week.” A week prior to said event I collected an “experience” with a friend, because that’s what friends do. Sometimes we also sit and watch lovingly from the sidelines as said friend collects said experience. Anywho??? We tried Vietnamese food for the first time. We ordered the Vietnames Beef Pho Soup. In a word, it was heaven. Little did I know I’d need heaven, because the following week I’d have to experience sore throat hell. In agony, I remembered how good the soup was! I had my poor hubby out in the rain traipsing all over town looking for the soup and finally vowed in my strongest Scarlet O’Hara voice, that I would learn how to make the soup myself. Then I found you on Pintrest and learned the correct way to say Pho and make Pho. Don’t you just love happy endings? You have the most amazing stories, recipes and photographs and that’s why you and all things lemonythyme.com are my new best friends. Group Hug….

    • libby

      April 18, 2015 at 2:02 pm Reply

      Hugging you right back Rese. What a week you had!! I too turn to Pho when my world is in a spiral. Glad you found us, I do love happy endings. xo Libby

  • Bonnie Martin

    September 8, 2014 at 11:27 am Reply

    This may be a silly question but I am very new to the “clay pot society”.
    Can I use a glazed bottom cooker as you would a non-glazed pot?
    Is there any difference in the heat or time required?

    Thanks,
    Bonnie

    • libby

      September 8, 2014 at 6:27 pm Reply

      Hi Bonnie. I’m not sure. I actually bought a glazed skillet at a thrift store and have yet to use it. I’ve got to do some research. I’ll report back, unless you find the answer first…then let me know :)

  • Heather

    May 19, 2014 at 12:49 pm Reply

    Good morning, Libby. I love all your recipes. I do have a question for you. You use lemon thyme in many of your recipes. If we cannot find it, can regular garden thyme be used instead? If not, what other suggestions do you have? Thank you so much!

    • libby

      May 20, 2014 at 3:45 pm Reply

      Hi Heather. That’s a great question. I use Lemon Thyme mostly when a little hint of citrus is welcome. Regular thyme won’t always work but sometimes it will, like with mushrooms or potatoes. If you can’t find lemon thyme there are other fresh herbs with hint of lemon or even a little lemon zest will work. Thank you for stopping by.

  • Neilly Robinson

    February 5, 2014 at 10:13 pm Reply

    Hi there!
    I would love to use your image of Wonton Soup for a image to help describe a cooking class we are teaching at Heirloom Kitchen. I promise to credit you! Please let me know what you think. Best, Neilly Robinson

    • libby

      January 23, 2014 at 3:29 pm Reply

      Hi Molly. Tony’s Creole Seasoning is a seasoning blend comprised of chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and a few others. While it’s pretty spicy, it also has a nice flavor. We use it in moderation for sure.

    • libby

      January 13, 2014 at 3:30 pm Reply

      Hi Joan. Yes, we love dried herbs as well. I’ve shared a link above for how we dry them ourselves, but also how I use them in recipes in place of fresh herbs.

  • Maria Leasca

    January 5, 2014 at 6:40 pm Reply

    Hi Libby, I love this site and the recipes, photos, inspiring back stories and comments. Thank you! I love to cook and enjoy taking time to allow the “layers” to develop. Using your site always adds to the fun, thank you! Maria

  • dianne cook

    July 30, 2013 at 11:57 am Reply

    Have not been getting newsletters. Would appreciate you sending. Love your name, use of herbs and recipes. Thanks

  • Abbey

    July 5, 2013 at 10:11 pm Reply

    I was refered to your website and I am so glad. I am cooking these days from my garden. I just love your site and your recipes are such a inspiration for me to keep cooking.
    I acquired a taste for fennel and have a great recipe with thyme. wil be back again and again.

    • libby

      July 7, 2013 at 3:01 pm Reply

      Welcome Abbey. It’s really nice of you to comment. I hope you find some recipes you love. Take care of that garden. Libby

  • Maren

    April 8, 2013 at 9:41 am Reply

    Hi, I really enjoyed your recipe for stuffed poblano peppers and would like to add it (the version i made) to my blog. I would like to reference to the original to give you credit. Pls advise if this is ok? I am very new to this whole blogging thing, so I hope this is not a rude question.

    Thanks alot!
    Maren

    • libby

      April 8, 2013 at 12:28 pm Reply

      Hi Maren, I’ve messaged you back and would be honored for you to share any of our recipes. Thank you for the links back. Enjoy. Libby

    • libby

      March 7, 2013 at 7:12 pm Reply

      Barbie, I’m so glad you share my LOVE for Clam Chowder. This recipe is my reminder of home and comfort. Thanks for your kind comment. xo Libby

  • Gigi ~

    February 23, 2013 at 6:24 pm Reply

    Good evening Libby …. I’m a new fan, and truly enjoy your website, recipes and photography – very creating and refreshing. :-)

    I look forward to spending additional time reading recipes within your ‘love to cook’ category. Keep up the great work!

    with warmest regards,
    Gigi ~

    • libby

      March 7, 2013 at 7:10 pm Reply

      Gigi, thank you so much for following our posts. So glad you enjoy them. Your support fuels my passion! All my best, Libby

  • Chef Lisi Bella

    February 15, 2013 at 10:27 pm Reply

    I am loving your recipes!! I found you on facebook and cannot wait to start getting email updates too. Your recipes are so BEAUTIFUL !!! Thank you for all you do !! Peace and Love !!

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