My hosts at Majdac farm show me a list of a dozen different plants - including balm mint, dandelion, dog rose, thyme, nettles and two types of violet - that make the delicious tisane that is offered instead of tea.

BBC: Snowbound Slovenia

The southern mountains are dotted with tiny traditional villages, fantastic spots to buy hearty local olive oil and thyme honey, though Azogires has a freshwater lagoon where the itinerant nereids - those beguiling sea-nymphs of ancient Greek myth - can allegedly steal a man's soul on one sacred night each year.

BBC: Seductive southern Crete

This is country where the local scrub of wild olive, thyme and holm oak give it a Spaghetti-Western feel.

WSJ: Will Lyons on Wine: The Wild Beauty of France's Roussillon and Its Wines