25.04.2026 12:32
In the Altınözü district of Hatay, the harvest of zahter, a local delicacy of the city, has begun. Known as a repository of healing and used in many dishes, zahter finds buyers at prices ranging from 300 TL to 400 TL per kilogram.
In Hatay, one of Turkey's most fertile lands where many products grow, agricultural products have started to be harvested with the arrival of spring. The bountiful harvest of thyme, which was planted in an 8-decare field in the Kozkalesi neighborhood of Altınözü district, has begun. Thyme, the local flavor of the city, is offered for sale at prices between 300 TL and 400 TL from the field. With an expected yield of 10 tons from the 8-decare field, thyme is shipped to cities within Turkey such as Adana, Mersin, Gaziantep, Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. Starting in March and ending in June, thyme, known as a healing store, is used in many dishes and for treating illnesses.
SOLD AT 300 TL PER KILO FROM THE FIELD Halil Akdemir, stating that they send the harvested thyme to every corner of Turkey at a price range of 300 TL to 400 TL per kilogram, said, 'We are in the thyme harvest in Kozkalesi neighborhood. Our garden is large and our yield is good. This entire 8-decare field was planted with thyme. We send thyme all over Turkey. We send it to cities like Adana, Mersin, Antep, Bursa, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, and abroad. The harvest starts on March 15th and ends near the end of June. Thyme is indispensable in our dishes in Hatay. Our thyme is our healing store. Since there is a lot, we collect it with scissors, which makes it cleaner and leaves no waste behind. We send it in a nicer and cleaner way worthy of our tables. We start at 5 AM and continue until 5 PM. Thyme from the field comes out at 300 TL per kilogram and is sent to other cities at a range of 350 to 400 TL. This year, thank God, we have water and everything. We expect an average yield of 10 tons from here,' he said.
USED IN MANY DISHES Gani Elmas, stating that the harvested thyme is used in many dishes, said, 'We are harvesting thyme here. The harvest started well and will end well. We start at 7:30 AM and stop at 3:30 PM. We collect the thyme with scissors; it's not difficult with scissors. It was difficult by hand. We used to collect it by hand in the past, and it was very hard. You can use thyme in meat, chicken, pastry, and salad. You can boil it and drink it instead of tea,' he said.