Common yarrow (achillea millefolium)

August 6, 2012 at 23:51 (Basics, Herbalism, Ingredients)
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Herba millefolii

You have probably seen this plant thousands of times, because – on the Northern Hemisphere – it grows pretty much everywhere. It’s a modest, unassuming plant, though the deep green colour is rather nice. The small, white flowers aren’t decorative enough to make bouquets of them, and the smell is sharp, a bit “medicinal”. No wonder, really – it’s a very valuable medicinal plant, and one worth keeping.

You can easily recognize yarrow for its leaves : slim and feathery, with a mass of tiny strands (the Latin ‘millefolium’ translates to ‘thousand-leaf’, which is actually one of its common names). The stem is tough and stiff, so if you’re planning on harvesting some, don’t even try to break it by hand. The right way to harvest yarrow is to take a very sharp knife and cut the blossoming stem roughly in the middle – taking half away and leaving half to grow. Yarrow grows back very quickly, which is why it is prized as a pasture plant, said t o “grow back right under the beast’s teeth.”

  • Medicinal uses

    Close-up of the characteristic leaf

Yarrow’s most interesting qualities are those of a medicinal plant. Fresh or dried plant (millefolii herba) can be used –  in decoctions or macerates – both internally and externally. Drinking yarrow infusions is generally advised in gastrointestinal trouble, as its healing properties can alleviate inflammations and cramp pains (although with serious cramps, fennel is a better choice.) Externally, yarrow preparations can be used in compresses and poultices to speed the mending of wounds, in which task it is very effective. This property is so well known that most yarrow names deal, in one way or another, with healing wounds : nosebleed plant, herba militaris, sanguinary, soldier’s woundwort… and not just in English, either. I have come across one extreme case – a solitary person wounded in the wild – who found yarrow growing nearby, chewed it into a pulp in his mouth and put the resulting mass over a cleaned wound. This was very smart of her, I must say. Even if it didn’t miraculously close the wound in seconds, it was still the best thing she could have done.

  • Culinary uses

Yarrow has a bittersweet taste, and a strong, sharp smell. It does not come to mind as the best foodstuff when you pass it by in the park, but it used to be quite a popular vegetable, used similarly to raw sorrel – in soups, and salads of boiled leaves. Nowadays, we have more interesting vegetables and yarrow is hardly ever consumed, but it’s still worth you attention from time to time. Especially if you have any kind of skin trouble – acne or suchlike – you will often hear how it can be treated with zinc pills and drugs, many of them quite expensive. Whereas yarrow leaves, and especially flowers, contain a large concentration of this valuable mineral which can be ingested when eating the plant. Tea-like infusion is one good choice, but seasoning a salad with the small, white flowers is even better, because you get a medicinal, cosmetic, gastronomic and aesthetic effect all at once. Yarrow leaves can also be chopped and added to quark cheese with tasty results.

  • Magic uses

Due to its healing properties, yarrow in herbal magic is best used to symbolise just that – healing, mending and closing of wounds. Herbal talismans containing yarrow are often made to help with hurt feelings and aid in moving on with one’s life after a traumatic event, searching for closure. Dried flowers are the best choice for these purposes, due to their sharp smell and pleasing appearance.

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Penne Primavera

July 26, 2012 at 17:41 (Pasta, Recipes)
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The cheese didn’t make it to the picture… sorry about that.

So, this was going to be a french dessert made of peaches, but I’m waiting for a sunnier day to take pictures of that. What we have here right now qualifies for Summer the same way I qualify for a “happy young woman”. You know it could be it, but somehow, it never is. And, of course, when in doubt I tend to turn to pasta, which is all very well and delicious, but it does put those additional kilograms here and there. But, to hell with that – there has to be some pleasure in this life, otherwise what’s the point? Might as well take a big swig of hemlock right now if I’m going to deny myself even that.

This is a genuinely my recipe –  I’ve invented it. Of course, hundreds of people have probably invented it too, because it doesn’t take some huge leaps of imagination, but it’s good and easy and that’s what counts. I  call it Penne Primavera, because I like faux-italian names and alliteration, but it works just as well with tagliatelle, fettuccine or spaghetti. Actually, pretty much every pasta in existence (with the possible exception of orzo and other minute pasta, because they get lost in the sauce).

The only actual difficulty with this recipe is the timing, because the sauce is based on melted cheese so it sets if you take it off the heat. Which means you’ve got to time it with boiling the pasta so that you have both ready at roughly the same time. It’s generally better to have pasta waiting for the sauce than the other way around, because if you have the sauce ready, you either have to leave it on the stove, in which case it burns or gets too thick and dry, or take it off, in which case it sets and doesn’t spread like it should. But it’s nothing difficult, really.
Oh, and it’s probably the only pasta recipe in the world that doesn’t really benefit from being sprinkled with grated cheese. No, really – it won’t ruin the dish, but it adds… nothing very much. So leave that Parmesan for Aglio e Olio, Primavera doesn’t need it.

Ingredients

  • Shallots (whole) – one to start with and say half per additional person
  • Tomatoes – one fresh tomato per person
  • Feta cheese – about 80-100 g per person
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic
  • Spices – the good old mixture of pasta spices, as usual

Preparation

Shallots and un-melted Feta cheese

Start with putting on a pot for boiling pasta. Then, chop the whole shallots thinly, down to the last green strand. If you end up with a mountain of greenery, don’t worry – it’ll shrink in cooking. Pour olive oil into a frying pan and fry the shallots on mild heat, stirring from time to time. When they get supple and nicely warm (the colour doesn’t change much), slice the cheese into thin slices and put them on the pan. Thin slices mean it’ll melt faster, but still you should keep the fire small and cover the pan for a while – that way the cheese will melt and not fry.

In the meantime, peel the tomatoes with aid from some boiling water (I usually use the pasta water for that, since it should be boiling now ; if it is, put pasta in) and chop them into small bits – the smaller, the better.
Now check on the cheese – there should be a white-ish, grainy mass with bits of green in the pan. Put in the tomatoes and all the juice that might have spilled during chopping. Mix it all up, add chopped garlic and spices, and cook on mild heat until surplus water evaporates and you’re left with a thick, golden mass. It will stick to the spoon, it will stick to the pan, so frequent stirring is in order.

Once your pasta is ready, you can pour the sauce over it and serve.

Serving

With a cameo by Great-Grandma’s China Plate ™

This is a dish of distinct flavor, and a colorful, jolly appearance – hence the name. It is also quite full of calories, as pastas generally are, so accompany it with a salad at most, and not a fried-chicken-and-cheddar salad, either. Chilled white wine will suit it very nicely, but so will most pink wines and  some lighter types of red. There are no unpleasant odors involved so it’s a good dish for an elegant or romantic occasion.

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Beware the Red Pest! And all the best, too

May 1, 2012 at 18:11 (Basics, Herbalism)
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Hello, my dearest readers! As You can see, I’ve not abandoned the blog, but, to quote the poet,  I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. It being a way to add the damn pictures to the posts. I just can’t afford to buy a camera, and my cell phone does not have the function.

So, until I discover some way to make photos, I’m afraid updates will be rather rare, as I can’t imagine a wall of text would be a pleasant way to spend Your precious minutes on. However, I still feel obliged to give you the customary Beltaine blessings, and hope You’ve had a glorious celebration. Mine was… well, there wasn’t any this year, but that’s not important right now. Neither is the strange thing I’ve come to think of as a “relationsheepish anti-agreement”, so I’m not going to mention it. See? No mention at all.

Anyway, (who said that?) there’s this little pest I want to write You about, and I don’t mean the guy. I mean the Red Spider Mite. It’s a very common pest that can be very dangerous to Your plants, as a friend of mine has recently discovered. Following my advice, he bought a small mint plant in a grocery store and potted it for kitchen use. The plant did not do well, the leaves yellowed and changes in watering regimen did not help. Of course, it was infected with the red spider mites.
Now I’m not generally in favour of interfering with the natural order of these things, but keeping plants in pots at home is already quite far away from what’s natural, and actually it is for this reason that the red spider mite is much more dangerous for Your indoor, potted plants than for those that grow outdoors. Besides, there’s not much point in letting Your herbs die, and that’s exactly what will happen if You don’t take action against the damn things. I’ve lost a lovely lavender bush to them once, and it was a gift from my mother, too…

The worst thing is that these insects (or, more specifically, arachnida) are unnoticeable at first glance, and chances are You’ll only start to suspect something once Your plants are very far gone. The mites are tiny, barely visible red specs and keep to the underside of the leaves, constantly draining the sap. If You’re not specifically looking for them, You’ll probably only notice the thin web they weave under the leaves or close to the stem, and by then it’s usually too late. They also migrate from one plant to others nearby, so they can really be a pest. What’s more, practically all fresh herbs I’ve bought in a grocery store had at least a few of them, probably because the manufacturers’ sell them shortly after growth and don’t care if they die after You’ve bought them (or actually hope for just that).
Ironically, once You  know they’ve affected Your plant, the red spider mites are fought by the simple means of clean water. That’s right, no need for chemical stuff or complicated nettle and garlic macerates : just rinse the plant thoroughly under a cold shower (in extreme cases, You can use a sponge to wash it using water and soap, I’m not kidding), and then, spray the whole plant with clean water at least once a day. Just make sure You’ve not stopped too soon or the mites’ll breed back.

I’m writing all this now because I bought a second basil plant recently, after a prolonged inspection in the shop, since every plant was infected – finally I had to choose the one that had the least of them and fight the damn things at home. The salesman was very upset by this, probably on general principles since I wasn’t picking leaves or messing up the plants in any other way. When he finally cracked and asked me whether I “hoped to find a husband in there” (strange, I know) I said, “I don’t need a husband. And I don’t need tetranychus urticae, either.” Neither do Your home plants, so check up on them periodically, and blessed be.

Oh, and here’s the customary celebration music.

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Imbolc Blessings

February 2, 2012 at 18:16 (Basics, Candlemaking, Herbalism, Uncategorized)
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It seems my displeasure with the weather was taken into account – it’s even colder today. But we Witches know that the year is round, and the frost has the promise of fire deep within it, as a great author once wrote. So we wait, and do our best to pass the time reasonably and wisely. And we make candles, eat cheese and celebrate the day of Imbolc.

The recipe for the mulled wine will come up in the next few days, although to be honest You already have it all on the greeting card.

Blessings!

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Presents! And knives

January 4, 2012 at 14:08 (Tools)
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Oh, heads of lettuce will roll!

A year ago – actually, even more – when Kitchen Witchcraft was a debuting little blog, I’ve put up a short post on kitchen knives and their properties, because it’s very important to have proper tools for any job, and for cooking tasks especially. So You probably have grown accustomed to the sight of an old, short knife with a wooden handle that pops up every now and then on the photos.

Well, my knife family has expanded recently and the newcomer is pretty impressive. It was a holiday gift from – You guessed it – my brother, and damn useful as usual.
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not throwing my old wooden friend away just because I got this sparkling, silvery eight inches of vanadium steel. But there was a lot of cabbage chopping to be done for Christmas, which my family celebrates, and even I was astonished at how effortless it was with my, admittedly, peculiar present. The long, annoying task that was usually shared between my Mother and myself, was done in the matter of minutes and without turning a hair.
I have to say I didn’t expect it to make that big a difference, but that’s the mark of a good knife – it does the cutting for You. The best ones are heavy, so that You only need to apply minimal force and their weight adds cutting strength ; the blade is thick on one side, for extra stability and to prevent it from bending, and only thins towards the cutting edge. All these qualities can be found in my new weapon of choice. And I do think of it like that, because it gives the awesome little kshing noise when drawn from the block, just like a sword drawn from a sheath. Trust me, I know ;)

So, why should this interest You? Well, I’m not sure, but since I’ve already done quite a lot of culinary exhibitionism around here, I might as well continue. And for those who do not care, here’s something more interesting:

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Golden cake

December 31, 2011 at 13:59 (Other, Recipes)
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You ask What is life? That is the same as asking, ‘What is a carrot’.
A carrot is a carrot and we know nothing more.

- Anton Czechow

Well, not to correct the great one, but we do know something more. Namely, we know that it’s a root vegetable, rich in vitamins and particularly good for the eyes. But I’m sure I’ve mentioned all that before, so let’s skip to the interesting part. Now you might have noticed that I’m not really all that big on desserts – there aren’t that much recipes here, but I did put some up and none of them had been for desserts so far. That’s because, although I do like sweets and suchlike, I’m not really crazy enough about them to justify all that work when I can buy some fabulous desserts ready, such as ice cream.

But carrot cake is different, because it’s very rare around here for people to even have heard about it, let alone bake it, and You certainly can’t get it in shops. So, once again, the Kitchen Witch is left to her own devices.
I’ve tried a few recipes, and regardless of their degree of complication, they all had one thing in common : they didn’t work. Something always went wrong along the line and I was left with a disgusting, dripping mass of semi-transparent carrotish goo. Unfortunately,  the same happens with this one, only rarer. And it’s the simplest one, so I’m sticking with it.

Ingredients

  • Carrots – one glass of grated carrot. Everything else should be measured with the same glass.
  • Sugar – one glass of sugar, or a little less if You so prefer. I find that one glassful does not make it overly sweet, but less does not ruin it either.
  • Flour – one glassful of Your regular white flour.
  • Vegetable oil – half a glass. You can use cinnamon oil for better effect.
  • Eggs – two
  • Cinnamon – one spoonful (large spoon, not a teaspoon)
  • Baking soda – one full teaspoon

Preparation

Now comes the good part. All you have to do is mix the ingredients until You get a sticky, orange mass – no grinding, no kneading, nothing. The only actual bit of work You have to do is peel the carrots and grate them, after that You’re practically done. Just throw it all into a bowl and mix, then pour into a baking mold of Your choice. Give it an hour in a solid heat, about 200 degrees. (I still sometimes get it almost raw, and have no idea why. If anyone has any thoughts, please share.)

This is especially good if You want to serve a dessert that will still have some reasonable health benefit (for a dessert, of course). Symbolically speaking, carrots have always been associated with wealth, due to their golden sheen. A popular Jewish dish for New Year around here is a special kind of cymes that consists of carrot slices fried in honey to give them the appearance of golden coins. These were believed to bring fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

Speaking of New Years, I hope 2012 is generous for You when it comes to health, happiness, and peace. So blessings for the New Year – those of You that still wait for it, that is – and see You in 2012!

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Celery and pepita

October 28, 2011 at 13:24 (Recipes, Salads)
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Si la femme savait ce que le céleri fait à l’homme,
elle irait en chercher de Paris à Rome

I forgot to include mayonnaise. Sorry about that.

Celery root. Big, gnarled, over-all strange looking. Important ingredient of many soups and salads, although rarely eaten raw. Actually, in many countries the root itself  isn’t known to be edible – my Mother made a small sensation in her day when, travelling in France, she mentioned a recipe that called for “celery, but not the green parts that grow above the earth. The part that grows below.” It had subsequently proved very difficult to obtain. And yet, it is a very valuable vegetable (VVV) when it comes to health concerns. Full of vitamins and minerals, especially recommended in cases of exhaustion and depleted strength such as recovering from an illness. It is also said to have an… invigorating influence on men, as the proverb above demonstrates, although I have not yet had an opportunity (or, indeed, a necessity ;) ) to find out. But if You can either corroborate or disprove the claim, I’d be happy to know.

So, how to eat it? Well, the simplest answers are often the best and it is certainly so in this case : a raw celery salad is the thing to do if You want to profit of all its properties in an enjoyable way. It is the simplest recipe imaginable, although today we’ll be making it a little differently, because we’ll be adding pepita instead of the usual sunflower seeds.

Pepita, or pumpkin seeds, are one of my favourite snacks and a great thing all round. They are also very appropriate for the season, as we’re nearing Halloween. Strictly speaking, I do not celebrate Halloween as such, and my Samhain celebrations tend to be a little chaotic at best, as there’s another holiday around where I live in the same time and it tends to interfere. But while usually I do my best with what I have, this year will be different, the reason being appropriately related to pumpkin seeds.
Because even though I made the actual salad (and the pictures) at home, as usual, I have subsequently packed it and took it with me as I left to spend the next five days… elsewhere. I have met someone and pumpkin seeds tend to be the leitmotif of our meetings. Right now I’m sitting on his couch typing this, and there’s a 1 kg bag of them beside me. Madness, but of the positive kind.

So, even though I was planning a feast of Samhein-related Witchcraft for my dear readers, once again I am limited to apologizing for the scarcity of my updates and placating You with a primitive recipe. But hey, it’s really good!

Ingredients

  • Celery root – they tend to be big, so half a root is more than enough for two
  • Pumpkin or sunflower seeds – as much as You like
  • Sauce base – this should be suited to Your tastes. Take mayonnaise for a rich, elegant effect, cream if You don’t like mayonnaise, natural yoghurt for the ultra-healthy version or olive oil if You are lactose intolerant/vegan
  • Thyme – preferably fresh
  • Green pepper

Preparation

This salad is simplicity itself.  Simply peel the celery (or indeed cut off the outer layer, as it’s hard to call it “peeling”), rinse the root and grate it on a big grater to receive solid, thick strands. Mix the sauce base – I always go with mayonnaise, I like mayonnaise – with thyme and just a bit of fresh ground pepper (green is best, You can add black instead but not red it doesn’t fit). Mix everything – the celery, the seeds, the sauce – and you’re good to go. This is a sister salad for carrot and sunflower, but since celery root is a bit spicy in itself, we’re not adding garlic here. And it’s more decorative, although it looks its best if other food you’re serving isn’t white. Usually I pair it off with roast potatoes.

For a more “exotic” feel, add some raisins. If You like raisins. And have a Spectacular Samhain!
Blessings.

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Stuffed peppers

September 27, 2011 at 14:45 (Other, Recipes)
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Well, it’s Autumn and no two ways about it.  The mornings are chilly and most of the summer fruit is no more. But much more delicious stuff is still available, and ready to make the coming cold more bearable. Of course, now that the sun grows dim, we have to prepare more complicated meals, to make up the lack of fire without with the fire within.

So, as an autumnal treat, I have prepared one of my more complicated recipes for You : the Hungarian stuffed peppers. As with all stuffed dishes, it requires some work, since the stuffing has to be prepared first, and the actual meal later. However, it’s not as demanding as it could be, because the peppers themselves are practically ready to go. Well, what did You expect? I like cooking, but I’m allergic to hard work, so ‘more complicated’ means, around here, ‘requiring 40 minutes’ preparation.’

The peppers used here are ‘Hungarian wax’ peppers, not the more popular bell peppers (capsicum annuum ; English nomenclature is quite confusing here. Apparently, C. Columbus is to blame), which have the best shape for what I have in mind right now.

Ingredients:

  • Hungarian peppers – one or two per person, depending on their size.
  • Rice – usually a glass (250 ml) is enough
  • Onions – as much as You like
  • Garlic – three cloves minimum
  • Soy meat/meat/mushrooms – really, the last ingredient is entirely up to You. If You want it to be ready really fast, go with mushrooms, although this tends to give the dish a mild taste and somewhat spongy texture, as mushrooms do. If You’re looking for optimal nutritious value, soy meat is perfect, and it will make the peppers keep longer if there are any left over than actual meat.
  • Seasoning : cayenne pepper or chilli powder, oregano and basil, laurel leaves.

You will also need some tomatoes or tomato purée to prepare the sauce in which the peppers shall be cooked.

Preparation

First, prepare the stuffing. There are two ways this can be done, although one of them I have never tried. The old-fashioned way given by a Hungarian cookbook I have is to leave the rice raw while preparing the stuffing, and the other is to have it cooked beforehand. I will go with the latter, as this is the way I always do.

Frying the stuff

So, cook the rice. The actual amount of everything depends on how much peppers are You using, so I’m skipping quantities here. Dice the onions and cook them in a frying pan on a small amount of oil. Add some garlic and, as the onion changes colour (white to gold, never brown), put the third ingredient of Your choice. I always go with soy meat for a bit of protein. Fry all that for a moment, then add the rice. It can go straight from the pot, no worries here. Mix everything and season it to suit Your taste. ( Just a tip here – if You want the dish to be spicy, You have the choice of achieving this with the sauce or the stuffing. In my opinion, go for the stuffing. It’s easier to counter a hot meal with a mild sauce then the other way around. Of course, if You want to make both extra-spicy, be my guest.) Good seasoning choices here include chilli powder and all sorts of pepper, but also savory, oregano, basil and turmeric for extra colour.

Now that the stuffing is ready, leave it off the stove so that it won’t burn, and prepare the peppers. They need to be hollowed out, but left intact to accommodate the stuffing. Of course, they are hollow in themselves, so what You really need to do is simply cut out the stems and the cluster of pips underneath. The easiest way to do this is to take a pointy knife, stab it vertically into the pepper and cut around the stem. (Be sure to dislodge all the remaining pips, they aren’t tasty.)

Use a small spoon to put the stuffing inside the peppers and take care not to rupture them or they will fall apart during cooking.  This is where the difference between raw and cooked rice comes in : if You use cooked rice, it won’t change its volume anymore (well, not significantly) so You can fill them up. When dealing with raw rice, You must allow for the volume change and leave some space.
Once filled, put the peppers in a wide, flat pan (do not try to cook them vertically, this never works) so that You can turn them around. Now, there are two ways this could go : You can prepare a real tomato sauce, with onions, garlic and all that, or You can just pour some water, add some tomato purée and spices and be done with it. What You prefer is up to You, but if the peppers themselves are well made, they don’t really need an elaborate sauce. To get the best of two worlds, You can add a spoon of cream to the sauce near the end. Cover the pan and leave them to simmer in the sauce, remembering to turn them gently around from time to time. Don’t let them stick to the bottom – You won’t be able to free them without ruining the effect.

Serve them in their own sauce, accompanied by a salad or another vegetable – french beans are my favourite. Since they are stuffed with rice, these peppers don’t need a side order of it. Mostly, they are a meal in their own right, which is great.

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The Autumnal Equinox

September 21, 2011 at 15:58 (Basics, Books of Shadows, Cooking tips, Herbalism, Uncategorized)
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I’ve been neglecting my readers, have I not? Well, there’s not much I have to say to excuse myself, but let me tell You this – I’ve been neglecting a lot of things lately. I didn’t even remember the Equinox was today until a friend reminded me. (Thanks, man!) I was planning to share a recipe for stuffed peppers, but it will have to wait.

Well, the year is round, and Kitchen Witchcraft had made a full circle some time ago. The Autumnal Equinox marks the descent towards darkness, the waning time. But fret not – light will come back again, as it always has. Personally I find much solace in that certainty, as I’m sure I’ve written more than once already. The Autumnal Equinox (on this side of the world, of course. Yes, I know about the existence of Australia) is the time to thank the Earth for all she has given, and let her take her well-earned rest. The gifts of Autumn are bountiful and valuable, but we must use them wisely to let them last for the winter. This is the time to make wine, fruit and vegetable preserves, to dry mushrooms and pickle cucumbers and do all these things that humans invented so that the gifts of the Earth are not wasted.
I was never all that good at making jams, but my Mother is, and she already has. Myself I am probably  going to celebrate by preparing an alcoholic tincture of some kind (I’ve just found out that our nalewka is a word used for them abroad as well, and currently awaiting trademark registration) if I have the patience. If not, I’ll pickle some peppers  or french beans for the winter. It’s really not all that hard, and I like to think of it as a kitchen ritual that is exemplary of the Kitchen Witchcraft practice – with a spiritual as well as practical meaning.

All You need is a jar big enough to hold the portion You want, water, salt and citric acid. Clean the beans and boil them for a short time (3 minutes are enough). The jars have to be absolutely clean and the lids must fit perfectly. For best results, boil the jars in a big pot just before use. Boil the water with salt and acid, put the hot beans into the jars and pour the brine over them. Screw the lids on tight and put the full jar back into the pot. Boil them for about an hour, then take them out. After 48 hours boil them again for about 40 minutes, and now You have jars of french beans ready for winter.

And traditionally, Kitchen Witchcraft provides You with music for this special day. Have fun, I’m off to celebrate!

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Thyme (thymus vulgaris)

July 8, 2011 at 12:16 (Ingredients)
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I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.
- Midsummer Night’s Dream

The common thyme. Strong, fresh scent, beautiful, small leaves and the resilience of something much bigger and tougher. This ancient herb has been used by many nations throughout the world since antiquity, respected for its antiseptic and preservative qualities that could be profited of by cooks, medics and even embalmers. Even nowadays, many throat remedies are still made of thyme, coltsfoot  and marsh mallow, despite all the progress in pharmacology.

Thyme is an easy herb to keep, even in a pot on your windowsill. It likes sunny spots best, but will actually make do anywhere, as long as there’s some direct light. It does not need a lot of water – indeed, too much of it can hurt the plant – and will struggle along even if You forget about it for a week, which makes it a good start for beginner herbalists. Even dried up and brown, the plant will regain almost all of its strength when taken care of.
If You want to have some fresh thyme at home, the best way to go about it is to buy a live plant. Thyme is very difficult to raise from seeds and is usually propagated by cuttings, even by professionals. If You bought a plant and want to put it in a pot, remember that thyme is a survivor ; it has evolved to withstand harsh conditions and those are the ones that suit it best. The most important thing here is to keep the soil well-drained. But don’t worry : just take the intended pot and fill the bottom with a 3 to 4 cm layer of stones (gravel or sea pebbles, anything small) and the rest with soil. This will make Your plant feel right at home.
Thyme can also be used to great effects in gardens, as it really is rather decorative, very resilient and can take severe cold well. An interesting fact is that ants like to make nests among thyme roots, and gardeners have successfully drawn ants away from an undesirable spot by planting thyme bushes somewhere else.

Culinary uses

Because of the strong aroma, thyme herb is a great seasoning for all those dishes that need an extra zing. Meats of all kinds can benefit greatly from being marinated in olive oil and thyme (and will keep longer).  It’s a great ingredient for all kinds of salads and casseroles where the taste would otherwise be too bland. The only problem is that the leaves are very small, and if You have a live plant, You’ll have to pick quite a lot of them and it becomes tedious after a while. But that’s hardly a real disadvantage.

Medicinal uses

Thyme is most commonly used as an antiseptic, due to high concentration of essential oils. Most common use for it are throat infections, which can be treated with infusions, thyme oil (it’s hard to make as it has to be distilled twice, so at home best stick to infusions) or some more complicated recipes I will not dwell on right now. It is also used to stimulate the digestive system and can raise blood pressure, although not enough to be any danger to patients suffering from hypertension. Usually. Of course, ultra-high concentration of thyme oil should be avoided by them, but then again, it’s not likely to come across that sort of dose anyway.

Magic uses

In magic, thyme can be used to great effect. Due to the strong and persistent nature of the plant, it can be used in charms  to grant courage and resilience. The potent, healthy aroma invigorates the spirit and clears thought similarly to lavender, but with more emphasis on action. Thyme can also be used to ward off nightmares, be it the fresh herb, the dried herb used in a witch bag, or incense. It is definitely worth to keep this small, but noble bush at home.

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