Thyme — season, tips, and recipes in Australia
Thyme is a herbs available in Queensland during January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, peaking in November, December, January, February. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy thyme, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
One of the most versatile cooking herbs. Lemon thyme and common thyme both grow well across Australia.
How to pick a good one
Fragrant with firm stems. Avoid if the leaves are brown or dropping.
How to store it
Fridge wrapped in damp paper towel, up to two weeks. One of the best herbs for drying.
Goes well with
mushroom: Thyme's earthy, slightly medicinal depth amplifies mushroom's savouriness. The combination is used across French and Italian cooking in sauces, soups, and braises because both are simultaneously earthy and savoury.
garlic: Garlic and thyme is a foundational combination in French cooking. Both are aromatic and savoury; together they create a base that most chicken, beef, and lamb dishes benefit from.
lemon: Lemon brightens thyme's earthiness and makes it taste less heavy. The combination is used in marinades for fish and chicken where the herb's strength needs to be moderated.
chicken: Thyme's flavour is assertive enough to penetrate poultry but not so strong as to overpower it. Roast chicken with thyme is as close to a default correct preparation as that protein has.
tomato: Thyme and tomato is a combination found across southern French and Italian cooking. Thyme's earthy depth adds a savouriness to tomato that the other Mediterranean herbs don't provide in the same way.
Recipes
Mushroom & Thyme Risotto
Earthy, creamy, autumn.
Ingredients: 400g mushrooms, few sprigs thyme, 300g arborio rice, 1 onion, 1L stock, 50g parmesan, knob butter, splash wine
Method: Fry mushrooms with thyme until golden. Set aside. Sweat onion. Add rice. Add wine. Add stock ladle by ladle. Stir in mushrooms. Finish with parmesan, butter.
Thyme Roasted Chicken
The roast chicken.
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 1 lemon, bunch thyme, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp butter, salt, pepper
Method: Stuff chicken with lemon halves, thyme, garlic. Rub with butter, salt, pepper. Roast 200C for 1 hour 20 min (or until juices run clear). Rest 15 min.
Lemon Thyme Butter
Compound butter. Freezes. On everything.
Ingredients: 100g soft butter, 2 tbsp thyme leaves, 1 lemon (zest), 1 clove garlic (minced), pinch salt
Method: Mix everything. Roll in cling film into a log. Chill or freeze. Slice off rounds for steak, fish, vegetables, bread.
Nutrition
One tablespoon provides 20% of your daily vitamin C and 10% of your daily vitamin A. Contains thymol, a natural antiseptic used in Listerine mouthwash. One of the highest antioxidant herbs. Thyme tea has been used for centuries as a cough remedy, and research supports its expectorant properties.