There are several varieties of this mint-family herb. Garden thyme, the most common variety, is a bush plant with gray-green leaves. It has a pungent, minty, light-lemon aroma. Sub-varieties include French thyme, English and Lemon thyme, which has a pronounced lemon aroma. Thyme can be found fresh in the supermarkets or dried in a powder form.

For general purposes, any of the garden thymes are a good choice to use in flavoring vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, soups and cream sauces. During the summer, you can grow thyme in pots on your deck and bring them indoors when the weather turns cool and set it by a sunny window. If you live in a mild climate, you can keep it outdoors year round.

Use this versatile herb in recipes like Thyme Biscuits or Fresh Herb Dip.