

An equal amount of marjoram, oregano or savory can be used in place of thyme as a substitute for thyme sprigs. If a recipe calls for a sprig of thyme, that means you need to use a cut woody stem and leave it intact with the leaves attached to the stem. Dried thyme is delicate and can last up to 6 months or even a year in some cases. Or you might choose to dry your fresh thyme to lengthen its life. If thyme is cut, it can be kept wrapped loosely in the refrigerator for up to a week.ĭried thyme can be purchased dried and in a little bottle in the spice section at most grocery stores. A thyme plant can be kept inside in a warm windowsill year-round. The benefit of fresh thyme is that it is more flavorful and tastes better. You can find it fresh in the supermarket or grocery store for purchase or you can buy it big box stores during the warmer seasons. There are many options and sources when it comes to using thyme. Sprig of thyme Fresh Thyme vs Dried Thyme If you were to remove all of the tiny leaves from the sprig and measure the volume of those, you would likely have between ¼ tsp and ¾ tsp of fresh thyme leaves on one sprig. Otherwise, you likely have more than a sprig of thyme. There likely are smaller secondary stems that come off that, but they should be very little in size. The width of the thyme is usually one main branch or woody stem wide.

When cutting a sprig, you should choose a main woody stem. Length.Īs far as the length of a sprig of thyme is concerned, it is usually about four to five inches long on a mature plant. In this post however, we will focus mainly on using thyme in culinary ways. Thyme can be used for cooking, in medicinal ways and for ornamental purposes. There are a whole variety of ways to use thyme. It likely incorporates 1 – 2 secondary sprigs that come off the main stem.
#Spring of fresh thyme how to#
What is a Sprig of Thyme and How to Use itĪ sprig of thyme is a 4 – 5 inch long main stem from the thyme plant. Sometimes I like to think of thyme as a mini boxwood bush because it has some similarities in appearance, but is micro in size comparatively. The leaves are oval shapes and come to somewhat of a point at the tip.

#Spring of fresh thyme full#
It has woody stems and tiny green leaves that grow the full length of those woody stems. On this page we’ve included some photos of a thyme plant we have growing in our warm windowsill. It includes about ¼ to ¾ teaspoon of tiny leaves on the stem. It could likely have one or two secondary branches coming off it. What do we mean by a sprig? A sprig is a main branch of the plant. The leaves can be removed from the stem by cutting the sprig from the plant and then holding at one end and running your finger and thumb along the stem removing the tiny leaves. Instead, the leaves are what you’re after. You will want to note that the stem of the thyme plant is too woody to eat. If we were to have to come up with an exact measurement of a sprig of thyme we would estimate it would include between ¼ and ¾ teaspoon of tiny thyme leaves. It is possible that there will be one or two secondary little branches coming off the main branch that are all a part of the sprig. A sprig is a main branch or twig from a thyme plant that measures about 4 to 5 inches long. A sprig of thyme is not an exact measure or amount like a tablespoon is or an ounce is.
