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What to do with Thyme

Submitted by Teresa Cheely from Slow Dog seasoning

Eat thyme, see fairies. Actually it was an ingredient in an ancient mixture taken for the purpose of seeing fairies. I’ve eaten my share of thyme. No fairies so far. It also has a reputation for being a blending herb because it pulls flavors together which is the reason it is in so many herb mixes. It compliments sweet as well as savory dishes. One of my earliest cooking lessons involved my mom fishing the twig out of the soup after it was cooked because it was easier than picking off all of the little leaves. Hint: strip the twig with your fingers from tip to base

Claires Cucumber Boats

Honey Thyme Butter

1/2 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
3 T honey
1 T fresh thyme leaves chopped

Combine all. Serve on biscuits, rolls, crackers, plain waffles or bagels, winter squash, brown rice etc.
What to do with beets.
Their beautiful color makes a great natural food coloring when cooked with or added to other foods. Throughout the years I’ve used beet juice for coloring Easter eggs, frosting, drinks and punches. Raw beets make great paper stampers for kids and face makeup (lipstick and blush). When cooking beets steaming or roasting retains the most nutrients. When using in soups, acid intensifies the color (lemon juice, vinegar). Salt dulls it and should be added at the end of cooking. They’re known as “beetroot” outside the U.S. and I was surprised to find a fat slice of cooked beetroot a standard item on a fast food type “Whopper” in Australia.