26/10/2026
🍎🌿 AUTUMN IN A BOTTLE – HOMEMADE APPLE & THYME SYRUP
Sometimes the simplest ingredients make the loveliest seasonal creations!
As the autumn evenings grow cooler, here's a wonderful little recipe combining the natural sweetness of apples with the aromatic warmth of thyme.
🌿 A Little Herbal Wisdom
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has been treasured for centuries, not only as a culinary herb but also in traditional European herbal medicine, particularly for respiratory complaints.
Combined with apple and a little lemon, it creates a beautifully fragrant syrup that can be enjoyed in warm water, sparkling water, drizzled over desserts or even used to complement savoury dishes.
🍎 Ingredients
500 ml cloudy apple juice
300 g sugar
8–10 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice
🌿 Method
Gently heat the apple juice with the fresh thyme for approximately 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow the thyme to infuse for another 10 minutes.
Strain out the thyme.
Add the sugar and lemon juice, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Pour into very clean bottles, allow to cool and refrigerate.
🍵 To Enjoy
Add 1–2 tablespoons to a cup of warm water, or drizzle a little over baked apples, pears or yoghurt.
❄️ Storage: Keep refrigerated and use within a few days, or freeze in small portions for later enjoyment.
💚 Catherine's Herbal Thought
Herbal traditions aren't always about complicated preparations. Sometimes they're simply about bringing familiar plants back into our kitchens, appreciating their aromas, flavours and the seasonal rituals that accompany them.
A little apple, a little thyme, and a touch of autumn magic! 🍂
Shared for culinary enjoyment and herbal education.
🌿 Holistic Healthcare Wexford
Integrative · Mindful · Patient-Centred