Harvesting & Dehydrating Fresh Thyme from the Herb Pot Garden
Harvesting & Dehydrating Fresh Thyme from the Herb Pot Garden
How to harvest and dehydrate Thyme for your spice cabinet!
If you haven't grown thyme in your own garden, you absolutely should- it's such a delightful, aromatic culinary herb that pairs well with roasted chicken, soups, and stews. It's the ultimate winter herb, aside from sage! Did you know that you can start seeds indoors in just a few months to have early spring thyme harvests? It loves cooler weather!
Today, we're focusing on the other end of cultivating thyme; I’m going to walk you through how I harvest and dehydrate my homegrown thyme! Remember earlier this year when I reseeded my thyme pot on the YouTube channel? Well, this is the beautiful end result: a lush, happy, healthy container that’s ready to be harvested so that we can stock our spice cabinet. I will also link the dehydrating thyme video in the next section (the one that this blog posts aligns with.)
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| I sowed hundreds of thyme seeds here in spring! That's how I grew such lush, healthy thyme in a pot! |
Harvesting Thyme
When harvesting, I simply clip back the tender growth. My pot is a jungle of thyme because I tossed in hundreds of seeds. The plants have grown so much over spring and summer that they’re completely tangled, but I quickly realized untangling wasn’t going to happen (and I realized there were far more plants than I previously thought.) I didn't want to clear-cut my thyme; I simply wanted to trim it back so that it'll continue to produce for me.
So I focused on trimming the younger, tender green stems instead of the older woody ones, and I left smaller stems behind. Cutting the older woody stems can lead to the demise of the plant, so it's important to be very careful if you're only working with a handful of plants. I have a densely sown pot, so I can stand to lose a few plants. |
| How to harvest thyme without killing the plant; don't harvest all of the leaves, leave some behind so that the plant can recover and regrow. |
When you leave the tiny sprigs behind, the plant can keep photosynthesizing, and it'll put out new flushes of growth before winter. I like leaving some greenery behind because thyme is a very slow grower. Rather than clear-cutting and reseeding, keeping the main plants healthy and growing saves LOTS time in the long run.
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| Avoid cutting or trimming the main stem when harvesting and pruning your thyme plants. |
However, with the mess of plants that I have, I can't possibly save each individual plant without consuming an excessive amount of time in the process; so, I was careful, but not overly cautious. Even if a few plants die back from pruning, there’s still plenty left that will root via stems and fill in the pot. After trimming, the pot doesn’t look quite as lush as before, but that’s just part of the cycle. It will bounce back beautifully.
Washing & Preparing Thyme
Before dehydrating, it’s important to wash your thyme. When you grow naturally or organically, little critters (like spiders) love to hide in the stems. We don't talk about how many little spiders, beetles, and ants come into my home on flowers, herbs, and produce!
Once clean, pat everything dry gently or lay it out to air dry. This will reduce the amount of thyme it takes for your thyme to dehydrate.
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| It's important to wash your harvested thyme (and other herbs) to get rid of debris and bugs. You would be amazed at the microecosystems that thyme can support; and I regularly find spiders living in it! |
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| Spider web in my thyme. Spiders love living in my thyme herb pot! You don't want this to make its way into the finished product, so keep an eye out when harvesting and wash your herbs well. |
Dehydrating Thyme
Dehydrating thyme is fairly straight forward & simple! First, spread sprigs of thyme onto dehydrator trays with a bit of space between them for airflow. Air flow is vital for even drying and the prevention of fungal or bacterial growth.
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| Dehydrating thyme in my adjustable dehydrator at 95 to 104°F. Herbs should be dried at lower heat so that you preserve flavor, color, and aroma. |
I always dehydrate herbs on low heat, about 95 to 104°F. Low temperatures preserve flavor and color. You can also hang your thyme to air dry, which is another wonderful option, but it takes several weeks- therefore, I prefer dehydrating. Once ready, the stems should snap and the leaves should be brittle. That’s how you know the moisture content is low enough for storage. Older wooden stems may be more likely to bend over snapping- so this is good to keep in mind.
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| Dehydrated herbs store best in glass jars in my opinion! I often reuse and upcycle glass jars from salsa, sauces, pickled jalapenos, pickles, and other products. Jars are EXPENSIVE- we're all about being frugal here. |
For storage, I recommend adding a silica packet to absorb moisture. Oxygen absorbers are great for jars that will remain closed for 3+ months without being opened. However, they're not of use for jars that will be opened, as you'll be reintroducing oxygen to the container. Both packets help to extend the shelf life of the thyme, preserving flavor and color while preventing moisture and degradation due to oxygen exposure.
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| Add a silica packet to your dehydrated thyme jars to help keep your herbs at a lower moisture level. This is particularly helpful in a humid home (especially when kept near the stove) or in an area that tends to accumulate moisture, such as an older basement. |
How Long Does Dried Thyme Last?
Most sources suggest using dried thyme within 6 to 12 months, but honestly, I still have thyme from last spring that tastes great (a year and a half later!) My rule in my kitchen? I'll keep using it until the flavor fades or something seems off. If it looks like thyme, tastes like thyme, smells good, and isn't exposed to moisture, I won't throw it out or replace it. Of course, in your kitchen, you have your own rules.
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| This was a big thyme harvest out of a container herb garden! You can grow lots of thyme, too; especially if you harvest your thyme with longevity in mind. |
Final Update: Thyme Begins Recovering, New Growth = Fall Harvest!
As a final update: my thyme pot is regrowing beautifully after this harvest, already filling in from the bottom with fresh green growth. Don’t be afraid to cut yours back, as it will reward you with even more aromatic greenery for a lush fall harvest!
Thyme greatly enjoys the cool, crisp air of fall. It can struggle quite a bit in the heat- as a matter of fact, mine hasn't been happy with the highs pushing into the 90's yet again. There should not be much more of that weather remaining for this year; in the coming week, I will add a nice little layer of soil and fertilize my thyme pot to help support lush growth as we enter into the fall season.
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| 33 days after the big thyme harvest. This is what my time looks like during the regrowth phase. It will fill in nicely and give me a beautiful, bountiful fall harvest. |
Take advantage of both fall and early spring weather if you're looking for bumper crops of thyme, as that is when you'll produce the most foliage with this herb. It's generally most active while other crops are dormant, meaning that you won't have to cram thyme processing in when you're at the height of the season. There's nothing worse than needing to preserve the harvest all at once, with your dehydrators, fermentation jars, oven, and canners working overtime.
Quick Q&A Reference Guide:
Q: When to Harvest Thyme?
A: When plants are 4-12" tall depending on variety and location, with full, lush branches. This is a low growing herb that greatly benefits from cut & come again harvesting.
Q: How to Harvest Thyme?
A: Use scissors or pruners to trim young stems from the plants. Avoid cutting the older, brown, woody stems. Leave enough foliage so the plant can regrow after harvest. You can either thin your plants lightly for cut & come again or harvest the plants completely (I don't recommend the latter.) I recommend keeping the main plant intact since thyme is slow growing compared to other herbs.Q: Preparing Thyme for Dehydrating?
A: Wash the thyme sprigs to remove dirt and any little critters that might be hiding among the leaves. Pat dry with a towel. Arrange sprigs on dehydrator trays, leaving space for airflow to prevent fungal or bacterial growth, while promoting even drying.
Q: Best Temperature for Dehydrating Thyme
A: Set your dehydrator to 95–104°F (35–40°C) if possible. Low heat preserves flavor, aroma, and color. High heat may cause your fresh thyme to lose flavor or color.
Q: How Do You Know When Thyme is Dehydrated?
A: You’ll know thyme is ready when leaves are brittle and the stems snap easily. Older, woody stems may have some bend to them, though.
Q: Storing Dried Thyme Safely?
A: Store in glass jars with tight lids and add a silica packet to absorb any moisture- this will maintain lower humidity. For long-term storage where jars will remain sealed (3 to 6 months), include an oxygen absorber. Skip oxygen absorbers if you’ll be opening the jar in under 3 months, they're not beneficial for short term storage. |
| How to harvest and dehydrate thyme for long term storage. |
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| How to harvest and dehydrate thyme herb plant for long term storage. |
