Leafy vegetable comparison

I have trouble growing spinach over summer, and I'm not great with lettuce, so trialed a few leafy vegetables that may be able to replace them.  It is currently winter here, which is not the greatest time to grow much, but it is the only time that there is space in the vegetable garden, so winter is when I ran my little trial.  

While most are very common, I have not grown a lot of these vegetables before, so this comparison was a lot of fun.  I will need to set aside some space to grow these in the summer garden, and see how they hold up to the heat as well as see how they cope with cabbage white butterflies.  They all survived frosts and temperatures down to -8C with no observable damage.  

These seeds were all planted in the garden on 09/04/2023, two months later (11/06/2023) I took the comparison picture below.  

From left to right: Spinach, Yakuna savoy, Senposai, Tokyo Bekana, Hon Tsai Tai, Bok Choy 

Various leaf vegetables, seed planted on the same day

In August, four months after planting the seeds, I took the comparison photo below.  All of the plants other than spinach are flowering.  Some leaves on each plant are far larger than the ones in the photo, while others are smaller, I tried to pick an average sized leaf from each variety.  The senposai for example has several massive leaves per plant, a bunch of leaves similar to the photo, and a few smaller leaves.

I didn't remember to include a tape measure in the photos.  To give you some idea of perspective, the spinach leaf is about the same size in both photos but with a longer stalk.   

From left to right are: Spinach, Yakuna savoy, Senposai, Tokyo Bekana, Hon Tsai Tai, Bok Choy.

Comparison after four months of growth

I grew spinach partly to act as something to compare the other leaves against, and partly because it only seems to do well here over the cooler months.

I will ty to briefly compare these, going from left to right in the photo.

Spinach Oriental Summer Jade: inconsistent growth rates between individual plants, some plants were large while others were tiny.  On average it seems to be a productive variety but takes up a fair amount of garden space.  This spinach has arrow shaped leaves that from a distance look a lot like sorrel.  Flat leaves don't trap dirt as much as regular crinkled spinach.  This taste like regular spinach (ie it's nice enough) and is meant to hold up well to summer heat.  

Yakuna savoy: this one took time to grow, and is growing far too slowly for my liking.  The plants were still all tiny while all the other vegetables had become rather large.  These are meant to be very resistant of extreme temperatures.  I didn't like the taste, it is mildly spicy and I found it a bit too cabbagy/mustardy/something for my liking.  It never got large as it bolted to flower as soon as the weather warmed.  They may do better if planted earlier or growing in warmer weather.  

Senposai: this is a cross between komatsuna and cabbage.  Fast growing plants and can become rather large.  These plants are vigorous growers, take up a lot of room, and produce a lot of food.  I don't like this (or any cabbage) raw, but it makes a good cabbage substitute when cooked.  I plan to keep growing this as it is one of my favourites.  

Tokyo Bekana: this is an Asian cabbage that looks like lettuce.  I had hoped it would taste more like lettuce than it does.  In a mixed salad this would do ok, and it can be used any way a cabbage would be used.  These fast growing plants are not slowed down by frosts and look really nice in the garden.  They don't take much room to grow a lot of these.  I plan to grow more of these.  

Hon Tsai Tai: this is a flowering choy that is grown for broccoli like flower heads, and the leaves are usually only really used as a secondary crop which is a waste.  The leaves taste almost sweet, and I prefer them to most of the others listed here.  These grew very fast, and look a bit raggedy and messy in the garden.  This one flowered through the depths of winter and was very pretty when in flower.  I like how sweet these are, and plan to grow more.

Baby Bok Choy: this is one of the prettiest looking vegetables I have grown.  These taste ok raw, and became sweet after hit by some frosts.  These are good cooked and I am told they are great in fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi.  These grow very fast and I love how they look in the garden.  These are compact and productive plants, a lot of plants can be grown in a very small area.  I need to grow more bok choy.  At this stage I'm not sure which variety is best for my needs.  Perhaps one day I will grow out a bunch of types and see which I prefer.

Tokyo bekana and Senposai 

Bok Choy and Spinach

All of the above leafy vegetables grew reasonably well over winter.  All of them are meant to be very nutritious and all are far more nutritious than lettuce.  

All of them would be great as green manure, and all of them are adored by chickens and are very nutritious, meaning if you don't get around to eating them or if you dislike their taste they would certainly not be wasted.  

It didn't take long for them to grow large

Not much space is wasted 

Leaf vegetable comparison 

All of them, other than senposai, are commonly available in Australia.  They all grow easily from seed.  All are simple enough to save seed from if you isolate them to prevent crossing.  Or you could let them cross, and plant out mixed up seed.  

What do tearless onions taste like

I wrote a previous blog post about Happy Chop Tearless onions being released in Australia.  As mentioned in my previous post, this is not a GMO and is not an F1 hybrid, it is a stable variety that is meant to breed true to type.  

There are two things I wanted to know about tearless onions: are tearless onions really tearless, and how do tearless onions taste.  

I have since been able to buy some tearless onions, eat them, and thought I would write a review of them.  Unlike the previous post, I took all of these photos.  

What do tearless onions taste like

Are tearless onions really tearless?

I can confirm that the tearless onions were tearless.  I cut them, I handled the cut pieces, I ate some raw as well as ate some cooked, and they were indeed tearless.  Even rubbing a little onion juice below my eye did not cause any irritation.  They are completely tearless.  

Tearless brown onion

What do tearless onions taste like? 

When eaten raw, tearless onions taste very sweet, and a little oniony.  My kids ate some raw, and kept coming back for more.  They were crunchy, almost like eating a mildly onion tasting apple.  They were really enjoyable raw.  I plan to grow some so my kids can eat them raw - never thought I would say that about an onion.  

I fried some tearless onion to see what they were like.  My house smelled like cooking onion, the texture was the same as any onion, all of which is good.  The taste was mild and not very oniony when they were cooked.  They were still quite sweet at this stage, but the onion taste was very mild.  

I have not grown any yet, so cannot comment on how the leaves taste.  I am guessing that they would be sweet and milder than onion chives.  I need to grow some out before I can know for sure.  

Tearless onion

Onion base growing roots

As you can see in the photos above, I cut the base off the onion we ate, and am attempting to sprout it.  So far the roots are growing well, and the leaves have not done much growing yet.  Often, sprouting the base of an onion will flower and set seed.  This variety is said to breed true to type as it is a stable variety and not an F1, so I hope to grow more of these rather than having to buy them.  

So, now you know what tearless onions taste like.  What fun!

Protein comparisons in food

I don't think I eat enough protein.  My body craves more protein.  Protein is expensive.  You also need to ensure all the essential amino acids are present, either in that food or a combination of foods you eat, otherwise your body can't utilise the protein you eat.   

I looked into protein shakes to increase my protein intake.  They taste nice and they take less effort and time than cooking food, but they can be expensive.  The best whey protein (high quality, high protein, at a lower price) I can find provides 32 grams of protein per serving.  I wonder how that compares to meat, eggs, or even vegetables and grains.  

Below I have compared the protein powder to several meats, eggs, vegetables, and grains.  For reference, I included the websites where I found the details.  This post was mostly made as a way for me to keep these numbers handy.  

Picture from https://customequinenutrition.com/blogs/nutrients/intro-to-protein-amino-acids

I am interested in the grams of protein, so I included this in the comparison.  I noted if the food contains an incomplete protein, as this is very important.  Leucine is an essential amino acid that is important for building muscle, repairing muscle, and it is metabolised in muscle fibers, so I included it in the comparison.  I am also interested in iron content as I struggle to get enough iron.  Even though it makes no difference to me, I know a lot of people care about calories, so I included the amount of calories of each food.  

To give the comparisons some perspective, the recommended daily intake for a male about my size and age is roughly:

Protein 50 g
Leucine 2.4 g
Iron 8 mg
Energy 2,000 kcal

To make the comparison as useful as possible, I am comparing 100 grams of each food, except for the protein powder which is one 40g serving.  

Protein Powder

Protein Powder per 40 g serve

https://www.uprotein.com.au/100-whey-protein-powder-enzymes-2kgs/
Protein 32.6 g
Leucine 3.39 g
Iron 0.74 mg
Energy 149 kcal

Meat

Note: meat based proteins are considered to be complete proteins as they contain good amounts of all essential amino acids
Note: about 14% to 18% of iron is usually bioavailable from meat

Chicken per 100 g 

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171477/nutrients
Protein 27.3 g
Leucine 2.33 g
Iron 1.04 mg
Energy 165 kcal

Beef per 100 g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174032/nutrients
Protein 25.9 g - some cuts as low as 13.6 g
Leucine 1.45 g
Iron 2.6 mg
Energy 250 kcal

Rabbit per 100 g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174348/nutrients
Protein 33 g
Leucine 2.57 g
Iron 4.85 mg
Energy 173 kcal

Quail per 100 g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169902/nutrients
Protein 25.1 g
Leucine unknown
Iron 4.43 mg
Energy 227 kcal

Squab per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169905/nutrients
Protein 23.9 g
Leucine unknown
Iron 5.91 mg
Energy 213 kcal

Eggs

(note: eggs are high in all of the essential amino acids and are considered to be a complete protein)

Chicken egg boiled per 100g 

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173424/nutrients
Protein 12.6 g
Leucine 1.08 g
Iron 1.19 mg
Energy 155 kcal

Quail egg per 100 g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172191/nutrients
Protein 13 g
Leucine 1.15 g
Iron 3.65 mg
Energy 158 kcal

Vegetables and Grains

Note: many plant based proteins are considered to be incomplete proteins as they are low in one or more essential amino acids
Note: Plant based iron is not as bioavailable as animal based iron, for example less than 2% of the iron in spinach is bioavailable

Spinach per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168462/nutrients
Protein 2.86 g (not a complete protein)
Leucine 0.223 g
Iron 2.71 mg
Energy 23 kcal

Grape leaf per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168575/nutrients
Protein 5.6g (not a complete protein)
Leucine unknown
Iron 2.63 mg
Energy 93 kcal

Dandelion leaf per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169226/nutrients
Protein 2.7 g (not sure if it is complete or not)
Leucine unknown
Iron 3.1 mg
Energy 45 kcal

Watercress per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170068/nutrients
Protein 2.3 g (not complete protein)
Leucine 0.166 g
Iron 0.2 mg
Energy 11 kcal

Soy bean (sprouted and steamed) per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168460/nutrients
Protein  8.47 g
Leucine 0.607 g
Iron 1.31 mg
Energy 81 kcal

Peas per 100g 

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170419/nutrients
Protein  5.42 g (not a complete protein)
Leucine 0.323 g
Iron 1.47 mg
Energy 81 kcal

Lima beans per 100 g 

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174253/nutrients
Protein 7.8 g (not a complete protein)
Leucine 0.673 g
Iron 2.39 mg
Energy 115 kcal

Corn per 100 g 

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169998/nutrients
Protein 3.27 g (not a complete protein)
Leucine 0.348 g
Iron 0.52 mg
Energy 86 kcal

Buckwheat per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170286/nutrients
Protein 13.2 g
Leucine 0.832 g
Iron 2.2 mg
Energy 343 kcal

Rice per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168930/nutrients
Protein 2.38 g (not a complete protein)
Leucine 0.197 g
Iron 0.2 g
Energy 130 kcal

Wheat per 100g

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168944/nutrients
Protein 9.61 g (not a complete protein)
Leucine unknown
Iron 3.71 mg
Energy 332 kcal 

Results

In the above comparison, out of all the meats rabbit meat has the highest percentage of protein.  Rabbit meat contained the highest amount of leucine among the foods compared.  As far as iron content goes, squab is the stand out, followed by rabbit.  Rabbit meat is also low in fat.  

Unfortunately rabbit meat is very expensive here, and very difficult to find, so I would either have to breed rabbits or choose another meat.  In that case I would choose chicken.  Chicken is a cheaper meat, it is readily available, it is high in protein, and it is high in leucine.  

Buckwheat is incredibly nutritious for a plant based food.  Buckwheat is high in protein, it's one of the few plant based foods that is considered to be a complete protein, it's high in iron, and it's gluten free.  Nutritionally, buckwheat is pretty comparable to egg.  The protein in buckwheat is absorbed better than the protein in egg, which is almost unbelievable for a plant based food.  Sadly, in Australia buckwheat is not commonly eaten and is difficult to find.  Presumably this is largely based on political reasons as it is a very healthy food.  

Buckwheat nutritional information

Much like a seahorse is not a horse, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is not related to wheat (Triticum aestivum).  Other than their common names, and that they are both edible, buckwheat and wheat don't have much in common.  

While buckwheat and wheat are both angiosperms (vascular flowering plants), that is almost where the similarity ends.  Wheat is a monocot, while buckwheat is a dicot, as far as flowering plants go you can't get much more different than that.

Both plants are edible, both can be eaten in similar ways.  Both are popular breakfast foods, as well as being popular for animal feed, and both feed a tremendous number of humans across the world every day.  Both have edible leaves and stems, but I want to discuss the seed/fruit of buckwheat.  

Wheat contains gluten, buckwheat does not.  Wheat is low in several essential amino acids (eg lysine and threonine) and is not considered to be complete protein.  

Buckwheat contains high quality complete protein with decent quantities of all of the essential amino acids.  Buckwheat is rich in limiting amino acids like lysine and arginine, which are in shortest supply in plant-based diets and is pretty rare among plant foods.  For this reason, buckwheat is considered to be a complete protein.

Some buckwheat that I grew

Buckwheat nutritional value

It is difficult finding nutritional data on anything that is overly consistent.  Sometimes these differences come down to what exactly is being tested, or different varieties, or seasonal variations, or even how the test was conducted.  For this reason I try to look up several sources of information.  Regardless of the source, you will notice that buckwheat is incredibly nutritious for a plant based food.

I found a website that listed the following nutritional value per 100g of buckwheat:  

Principle	Nutrient Value	Percent of RDA
Energy	343 Kcal	17%
Carbohydrates	71.50 g	55%
Protein	13.25 g	24%
Total Fat	3.40 g	17%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Dietary Fiber	10 g	26%
Vitamins
Folates (B9)	30 µg	7.5%
Niacin (B3)	7.020 mg	44%
Pantothenic acid	12.33 mg	25%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.425 mg	33%
Thiamin (B1)	0.101 mg	8.5%
Vitamin A	0 IU	0%
Electrolytes
Sodium	1 mg	<1%
Potassium	460 mg	10%
Minerals
Calcium	18 mg	2%
Copper	1.100 mg	122%
Iron	2.20 mg	27.5%
Magnesium	231 mg	58%
Manganese	1.300 mg	56.5%
Phosphorus	347 mg	50%
Selenium	8.3 µg	15%
Zinc	2.40 mg	22%
Amino acids
Lysine	672 mg	32%
Methionine	172 mg	24%
Tryptophan	192 mg	69%

Buckwheat nutrition compared to Grains

I also found a comparison of the nutritional value of buckwheat, rice, wheat, and maize.  I have highlighted the highest value in each row to make it easier to read. 

By in large, buckwheat appears to be more nutritious than any of the true grains that were tested in that sample:

Comparison of nutrition: Buckwheat, Rice, Wheat, and Maize

Buckwheat vitamins compared to wheat

To give a little perspective I looked up the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of a few vitamins and minerals that are present in buckwheat and listed the equivalent in wheat.  As you can see, buckwheat is far more nutritious than wheat.

Vitamin E (tocopherol) buckwheat 40mg, wheat <1mg, RDI 15-20mg with safe upper limit 1,000mg
Thiamin (B1) buckwheat 3.3mg, wheat 0.5mg, RDI 1.5mg
Riboflavin (B2) buckwheat 10.8mg, wheat 0.2mg, RDI 1.8mg
Niacin (B3) buckwheat 18, wheat 5.5, RDI 20 

Pantothenic acid (B5) buckwheat 11mg, wheat <1mg, RDI 10mg with safe upper limit of 1,000mg
Magnesium, buckwheat 390mg, wheat 138mg, RDI 400mg

Choline, buckwheat 440mg, wheat 14mg, RDI 550mg

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) buckwheat 7.00 µg, wheat 0.3 µg, RDI 80 µg

Vitamin A (retinol) like all grains, none.

Buckwheat compared to Oats

Oats (Avena sativa) are another popular breakfast food.  Oat is a monocot and is similar to wheat in many ways.  Unlike wheat, oats do not contain gluten.  Oats, much like buckwheat, are meant to naturally lower total cholesterol levels and improve HDL to LDL cholesterol ratio.  

I use buckwheat to make kasha for my breakfast each morning, which is similar to how many people eat steel cut oats.  I tried eating oaten kasha for some time, but found I was getting hungry early in the day.  When I make kasha using buckwheat I feel full for longer, which is nice.

I fount a web page with the following comparison table of buckwheat and oats.  Once again buckwheat comes out as an impressively nutritious food.  These results indicate that buckwheat is more nutritious than oats.  

per 100g	Buckwheat	Oatmeal
Calories	343	68
Carbohydrates	71.5 g	11.67 g
Fat	3.4 g	1.36 g
Dietary fiber	10 g	1.7 g
Protein	13.25 g	2.37 g
Calcium	18 mg	80 mg
Iron	2.2 mg	5.96 mg
Magnesium	231 mg	26 mg
Phosphorus	347 mg	77 mg
Potassium	460 mg	61 mg
Sodium	1 mg	49 mg
Zink	2.4 mg	0.62 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	0.425 mg	0.215 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	7.02 mg	3.025 mg
Vitamin B5	1.233 mg	0.317 mg
Vitamin B9 (Folic acid)	30 mg	39 mg

Buckwheat Glycemic index compared to grains

I have a little trouble with blood sugar, so wherever possible I prefer foods that have a low Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL).

I found a peer reviewed paper comparing the GI and GL of buckwheat, barley, millet, spelt, bulgur, and couscous.  GI and GL are often used to assess diet quality in relation to the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer development.

The lowest GI was found for buckwheat (34.7±8.2%) and barley (31.3±13.4%). The GL for these groats was 8.1±1.9 and 8.0±3.4, respectively.  The GI for millet, spelt and bulgur amounted to 56.2±20.6%, 69.8±35.0%, 64.5±36.8%, respectively, while for couscous amounted to 99.0± 36.0%.  The highest GL was observed for couscous (24.7±9.0).

The groats tested in that study classified barley and buckwheat as low GI food, millet and bulgur as medium GI food, spelt and couscous as a high GI food.  The study concluded that buckwheat and barley should be chosen the most often among these products, while the intake of couscous should be limited, especially by people with diabetes.  

Buckwheat is comparable to egg protein

100g of egg (about two eggs) contains about 13 grams of protein, which is similar to the amount of protein in buckwheat.  Both buckwheat and egg are eaten by people who are into fitness, strength training, and body builders.  

The absorbability of egg protein varies depending on how it is cooked, and is cited in literature as being between 50% and 90%.  The absorbability of the protein in buckwheat also varies in literature, possibly due to cooking methods, and is often cited as being around 93%.  Both buckwheat and egg contain good levels of all of the essential amino acids and are considered to be complete proteins.  

Conclusion

Buckwheat is incredibly nutritious for a plant based food.  If more people in this country ate buckwheat as an every day staple food they would be healthier and stronger.  

Buckwheat would be a valuable staple food in the diet of anyone who does not eat animal based foods or does not eat may animal based foods.  Buckwheat is simple to store, it tastes good, and can be used in a wide range of ways.  

I used to eat wheatbix each morning for breakfast.  Then the local shops ran out and I could not buy it for a few months, so I switched to oats, and then to buckwheat.  Since switching to buckwheat I have gained strength, I have lost fat, I have gained weight (presumably muscle) and am now staying up in the 'healthy' BMI range, my cholesterol levels have dropped, my HDL to LDL cholesterol ratio is now in the ideal range, my blood sugar levels are more stable, and I am less hungry.  

I plan to write another blog post at some stage on growing buckwheat as a cover crop and (according to research) a nitrogen fixer.  There seems to be little academic research on this topic outside of Russia and previous Soviet nations, but what research I can find is fascinating.  

I find the limited research into buckwheat odd considering the economic value of buckwheat, the amount of people it feeds (the FAO says buckwheat is a major food crop in the world), and how incredibly nutritious buckwheat is.  Given how much more nutritious buckwheat is compared to most other grains, I find it odd how limited its consumption is in Western nations where it remains a specialty food rather than a daily staple.  I assume this is mostly due to political reasons.  

Comparison Pot Widths and Volumes

I have been trying to work out how much soil a plant pot holds.  This post is to help me remember without writing on a scrap of paper and then losing it.  

I sell seeds and bare rooted plants, and have started to sell some plants in pots at garage sales and things like that.  This increases the costs to me as I have to buy pots as well as soil.  For this reason I need to know how much the pot costs as well as how much the soil costs that they hold, so I can know if this is financially viable.  

While there are shorter pots or taller pots of the same diameter that will change the volume, I have found the following to give me a ballpark idea of how much soil each pot holds:

Plugs (5cmx5cmx5cm) - 0.125L

50mm pot - 0.15L

70mm tall pot - 0.3L

75mm pot - 0.35L

100mm pot - 0.5L (0.46L-0.55L)

140mm pot - 1.55L

150mm pot - 1.7L

200mm pot - 4.3L

 

Comparison of Thyme varieties

I have grown a bunch of different varieties of edible thyme over the years.  I haven’t disliked any but some are better than others.  Since writing this post I have done a better comparison of Jekkas thyme, have a look if you are interested.

I have always wanted someone to do a comparison of the different varieties of thyme, but the best I can find are some general words or exaggerated hype about just one variety, but no comparisons.  So I decided to write a quick comparison of some varieties I have grown and take some pictures to compare them. 

Before you read this please note the leaf size will vary on each plant depending on growing conditions, the photos will only give you a general comparison of plants grown under similar conditions.  All of the below varieties have survived for me through many harsh frosts, snow, and hail.

Each year I tend to cut the plants down pretty hard in spring, this encourages new growth and the trimmings can be planted and will usually grow new plants if watered a little.  Like many other leaf herbs, frequent harvests encourage it to produce and if left unharvested they can get a bit woody and unproductive.

All were same sized cuttings planted on the same day: Variegated lemon thyme, Orange peel thyme, Tabor thyme, Jekka's thyme

  
Comparison of Thyme varieties:

Regular thyme (aka Garden Thyme Thymus vulgaris) is a good edible herb, not surprisingly it smells and tastes of thyme.  The leaves are tiny and green.  It is meant to be drought hardy and frost hardy.  For some strange reason I have trouble growing it.  Random things happen that can’t be the fault of the variety such as my kids pull it up or the pot gets knocked over and one of the kids kicks it under a shrub where I can't find it.  It just hasn’t had a chance to thrive for me.  It is not included in the comparison photo as it looks tiny in its pot.  It is simple to strip the tiny leaves from the twigs. 

Silvery posy thyme (Thymus sp) is a lovely edible thyme.  The leaves are the same size as regular thyme but are variegated and interesting.  We grew it for years, it smells and tastes and is used just like regular thyme but is far prettier.  Mine was vigorous and strong, unfortunately being variegated means it does not cope with hot dry weather as well as all green varieties can.  After growing it in an arid climate with one too many weeks in a row where day time temperatures exceeded 40 Celsius it died, and I didn’t replace it.  Now that we have moved near Canberra I should get another one as it grows well here and I miss it.  

Thyme leaves back and front, from left to right: Garden thyme, Lemon thyme, Variegated lemon thyme, orange peel thyme, Jekka's thyme, Tabor thyme

Thyme comparison from left to right: lemon thyme (this plant is older than the rest), variegated lemon thyme, orange peel thyme, Tabor thyme, Jekka's thyme

Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) is another great edible herb.  I have been growing my plant for over 9 years, it takes strong frost and heat/drought and has survived for me through some rather extreme conditions.  It has tiny leaves of a similar size to regular garden thyme that are green and smell like thyme and lemon.  Stripping the tiny leaves from the twigs is simple.  This plant is usually very productive and very hardy in heat and cold.

Left to right: Tabor Thyme, Variegated Lemon Thyme, Jekka's Thyme

Left to right: Garden thyme, Lemon thyme, Variegated lemon thyme, orange peel thyme

Variegated lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) tastes and smells the same as lemon thyme but the leaves are variegated.  Variegation varies from leaf to leaf and from branch to branch, some branches are whiter than others.  It probably does not take extreme heat as well as the green form, but it is a little prettier.  Stripping the tiny leaves form the stems is simple.  I will probably grow more of this as it is useful and pretty.

Left to right: Orange peel thyme, Jekka's thyme, Tabor thyme

Orange peel thyme (Thymus nitidus) is a low growing edible thyme that smells like a mix of thyme and spices.  Sometimes it smells a lot like orange peel, other times less orangey and more spicey.  The leaves are thinner than regular thyme, but still tiny and green.  Stripping the leaves from the stems is not as easy as regular thyme but not overly difficult.  This is not only edible but people also use it to create a fragrant thyme lawn.  It is a bit of a slow growing thyme until established.

Tabor thyme on left, Jekka's thyme in right

Jekka's thyme (Thymus sp) is a strong growing edible thyme with relatively long leaves that are green.  This has a strong thyme smell and taste.  Jekka's thyme is a vigorous grower that doesn’t take long to grow into a large plant.  I assume that it would not take extreme heat as well as smaller leaf forms.  When the stems are young and green it is difficult to strip leaves from the stems, as they get woodier this is no longer a problem.

Tabor thyme (Thymus sp) is another strong growing, vigorous edible herb.  It has the largest leaves I have seen on a thyme plant and is the fastest growing thyme I have grown.  It has a strong thyme smell and taste.  When young it is difficult to strip large leaves from soft stems, as the plant gets older the stems get stronger and this becomes simpler.  Tabor thyme is not well suited to hot arid climates and suffers a bit due to its larger soft leaves.


Where to buy culinary thyme plants
Most garden shops tend to sell thyme, sometimes they have different varieties.  I really should take some cuttings and sell some of the thyme varieties that I have through my for sale page as some of the thyme varieties I grow were difficult to come by but are really rather good.