The BlogHer series on Cooking with Fresh Herbs has featured cilantro, tarragon, parsley, mint, dill, lovage, chives, basil, Greek oregano, rosemary, and sage, and today we're finishing up the series with thyme. No pun intended, but the timing is good because even though fresh thyme is used in summer dishes, thyme really comes into its own in foods that are cooked in fall or winter.

Thyme is used in cuisines around the world, and I'd be willing to bet it's one of the most-used herbs in U.S. cooking, being one of the essential flavorings in chicken soup or bread stuffing for poultry. It's also an herb where the dried form is very closely equivalent to the fresh herb, so you'll see a few recipe included here that use dried thyme. Thyme is especially well-suited as a seasoning for soups and stews because the flavor is released best with longer cooking times. Thyme also blends well with other herbs, and it's used in blends like poultry seasoning, Bouquet Garni, Herbes de Provence, and the middle eastern blend called Za'atar.

Thyme is relatively easy to grow in nearly any location, although it prefers full sun. Many varieties of thyme are grown mainly as ground covers or decorative plants, so if you're planting thyme for culinary use you may want to consult someone at the garden center to be sure you'll be happy with your choice.

Now here are some ideas for cooking with thyme. As always, if you have a good recipe using thyme, please share your recipe or link in the comments.

Thyme in Soup
Chicken Noodle and Fresh Thyme Soup from A Fridge Full of Food (pictured above)
Carrot Leek Soup with Fresh Thyme from Figs with Bri
Corn and Thyme Soup with Seared Chicken Thighs from Christine Cooks
Rustic Mushroom Soup with Thyme from French Kitchen in America
Onion and Thyme Leaf Soup from Eat Like a Girl
Butter Bean, Bacon, and Thyme Soup from Greedy Gourmet

Thyme with Poultry or Meat
Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Shallots and Thyme from Andrea's Recipes
Twice-Cooked Lime and Thyme Chicken from Lucullian Delights
Leg of Lamb with Thyme, Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Lemon from Lucullian Delights
Sea Salt and Thyme Turkey Burgers from A Good Appetite
Curry and Thyme Chicken Salad from The Skinny Gourmet
Cornish Hen for Two with Cranberry Thyme Sauce from FamilyStyle Food
Herb Roasted Chicken from My Own Sweet Thyme

Thyme with Mushrooms
Sliced Mushrooms with Melted Mozzarella and Thyme from Taste and Tell (pictured above)
Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms with Thyme from A Veggie Venture
Mushroom and Brie Quiche from My Own Sweet Thyme
Brandy-Thyme Sauteed Mushrooms from Kirsten's Home Cooking

Thyme with Rice or Pasta
Ricotta Gnocchi with Lemon Thyme Butter Sauce from Technicolor Kitchen
Spicy Sausage and Mushroom Taglietelle with Fresh Thyme from Daily Unadventures in Cooking
Roasted Beet and Thyme Risotto from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
Linguine with Lemon, Garlic, and Thyme Mushrooms from A Spoonful of Sugar

Thyme with Bread or Baked Goods
Sun-Dried Tomato Thyme Muffins from Mele Cotte
Homemade Parmesan Thyme Crackers from Foodista
Olive Thyme Bread from Just Get Floury
Olive Oil Cupcakes with Lemon and Thyme from Cupcake Project
Thyme Bread with Bacon and Fontina from Once Upon a Tart

Thyme with Tomatoes
Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme from Nami Nami (pictured above)
Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Thyme from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once
Cherry Tomato and Feta Cheese Tart with Fresh Thyme from Cafe Fernando
Tomato Thyme Sorbet from Hogwash
Roasted Tomato Tart with Creme Fresh and Thyme from Orangette

Thyme with Vegetables
Potato Salad with Apple and Thyme from Cook Sister!
Pattypan Squash with Thyme and Feta from Superspark
Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme from Simply Recipes
Baked Jerusalem Artichokes with Bread Crumbs, Thyme, and Lemon from Morsels and Musings
Baby Carrots and Thyme from Saffron Trail
Ratatouille with Thyme from Thyme for Cooking
Thyme Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges from Once Upon a Feast
Roasted Klondike Rose Potatoes with Herbed Goat Cheese and Thyme from White on Rice Couple

Miscellaneous Ideas with Thyme
Thyme Baked Eggs from Liberal Foodie (Pictured above)
Frittata with Broccoli and Garden Herbs from The Perfect Pantry
Cannellini Spread with Herbs from Gourmet Girl
Whole Wheat and Mushroom Stuffing from Kalyn's Kitchen
How to Freeze Fresh Thyme from Kalyn's Kitchen

You can use the tag Cooking with Fresh Herbs to find all the herb posts in this series..

Kalyn Denny writes about food and at BlogHer.com and shares her passion for cooking at Kalyn's Kitchen. Kalyn loves thyme and uses it in dishes like Farro with Mushrooms, Thyme and Balsamic Vinegar or Roasted Baby Summer Squash with Feta and Thyme.