Thyme preparations

In case you (assuming there is any YOU out there besides me) are wondering why so many posts on thyme, I must explain I'm in a herbal formulary class at Grey School at the moment and the herb I picked to research was thyme.  The fourth assignment is to prepare at least three preparations with your chosen herb.  While there are a few items I might start (Oil/Vinegar) I wanted to do three I could do all in one day if needed so I could write it up for class.  Today is the day.

After Freya (my dog) and I went for a walk, I came home, got the split pea soup going for lunch and pulled out the thyme.  I popped a sprig into the soup just for fun and then set about with my first preparation.  As simple infusion...a "Simple" as they were called.

I boiled water in my tea kettle and then popped about two teaspoons of fresh thyme into a cup, poured the water, just off the boil, into the cup and covered it up to steep for about ten minutes.  I figured the volitale oils don't like boiling water, so I treated it as if it were green or white tea as opposed to a black tea.  But unlike the green tea, I let it steep much longer. 

After about ten minutes the water had turned a pretty golden green and it smelled like....thyme!

I had heard that thyme tea tasted icky, but I decided I would make up my own mind.  I usually like any tea sweet, but I just tested the temperature and gave it a sip sans sugar.   Not bad!  no, really it was fine.  I don't want to make a steady diet of the stuff, but it was just fine.  It tasted like chicken broth without the chicken, which makes no sense, I know, but that is the best I could think of.  Chicken broth without the chicken.

Just for fun, I had made a second cup and added a packet of Stevia in that.  Stevia is an herb with amazingly sweet leaves.  It's the new "fake" sugar, but at least it is more natural than aspertame.  ANYWAY.  That darn stuff tasted good with sugar too!  Truly.  I'll drink it either way.   Next time I have a cough and phlegm I'm breaking out the thyme tea!

Second preparation was a decoction.  That is an infusion that is really strong.  It is usually made with herbs that are a bit tougher to use and need the full stem or branch boiled down.  Thyme isn't quite that bad, but I popped about a 1/2 of loose thyme sprigs into three cups of water and turned it on medium heat and let it go for about 20 minutes.  It turn an odd green/gold/brown color and smelled like Thyme!  Honestly, I don't really know what to do with the stuff.  But I think I will pour some of it into my bath water later tonight and add some to shea butter to make thyme lotion.  That will be the third preparation for my report and I'll have to get back to you all on that one.

Another preparation I will do tomorrow because I ran out of steam today what with the pea soup, the tea, the docoction, the stroganoff and the heart-shaped cake for Valentine's, I was pooped.  And anyway the butter I had taken out of the 'frig to soften was needed at the last minute to replace the god-awful frosting I bought so I had to make some instead.  Tomorrow, I will make herb butter and dip artichoke bits in it.  I believe the recipe is as simple at

1/2 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon fresh herb (thyme)
mix them together and enjoy!