SPRING THYME

Spring awakens all the perennial herbs, and the thyme in the garden is sprouting new green leaves again. Thyme is one of my favourite herbs to cook with and very easy to grow. It loves full sun and will put up with extreme weather, even snow in the winter months in the northern hemisphere.

Thyme is a great asset in the veggie patch as the smell helps to keep unwanted crawlies away, so plant it all over and always have some growing in a pot near the kitchen for easy picking. I give all my perennial herbs a good feed of compost at the beginning of spring; this gives them a much-needed boost after the winter months.

September is a very busy month in the garden, so much to do. I have lots of different types of heirloom seeds in trays waiting to go into their new homes, everything from brown habanero chilli peppers to giant pumpkins, and I do mean giant!

All the preparation for this crucial growing time has been done; feeding, mulching and weeding of the beds for the summer season produce. I have drawn a garden map so I remember where I plant all the different types of seeds. It also helps with my crop rotation plan.

Practising crop rotation helps maintain the nutrients and condition of the soil. If you plant the same vegetable in the same place year after year, the soil condition will deteriorate rapidly. My jalapeño chillies grew in the same spot for two summer seasons and they were definitely not as abundant the second time around.

If you planted winter crops of peas and broad beans, crops to follow these would be tomatoes, brinjals or peppers. Thyme is a good companion plant with these vegetables and planting some among the rows will give you strong, healthy crops.

Where the winter cabbages and cauliflowers were you could plant snow peas, bush beans or climbing beans. Summer and winter savoury are great companion herbs to grow with beans; but fennel and dill are not, so keep these far away.

Fresh thyme is delicious with roast lamb or chicken. Lemon thyme tossed with sautéed mushrooms and served with crusty bread or toast is a treat worth growing the herb for.

LEMON THYME MUSHROOMS

30ml (2 tbsp) butter 400g button mushrooms, quartered 30ml (2 tbsp) dry sherry 100ml fresh cream 4-5 stalks fresh lemon thyme, leaves removed Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and fry the mushrooms over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the sherry and shake the pan for a minute. Add the cream and thyme leaves and season to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for a few minutes until juices have reduced and sauce has thickened. Serve hot on your favourite bread.

Serves 4