# ISO What to do with bay leaves



## GotGarlic (Sep 12, 2007)

Hi, all. I have a bay tree in my herb garden that is over 6 feet tall and starting to grow wide, so I'm trimming the growth on the sides. This leaves me with lots of bay leaves. Other than tomato sauce and poaching chicken for enchiladas, any ideas on what else to do with bay leaves?

Here's the tree - it's the tallest plant in the garden:






TIA.


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## Jeekinz (Sep 12, 2007)

I've been looking all over for one of those.  Where do you get them?  I can keep it indoors right?


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## Andy M. (Sep 12, 2007)

Jeekinz said:


> I've been looking all over for one of those. Where do you get them? I can keep it indoors right?


 

Check with a local nursery and ask for a bay laurel tree.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 12, 2007)

Jeekinz said:


> I've been looking all over for one of those.  Where do you get them?  I can keep it indoors right?



There's a local branch of the Herb Society of America here that has an annual sale of herb plants - that's where I got mine. For the first few years, we brought it inside during the winter, and it always lost its leaves around February. We thought it was dead, but one year, we never got around the throwing it out and a couple of months later, it started sprouting leaves again. Then a few years ago, we decided to just leave it in the ground to see what would happen, and it's done better than ever. We're in zone 7, btw, so ymmv.


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 12, 2007)

GotGarlic said:
			
		

> Other than tomato sauce and poaching chicken for enchiladas, any ideas on what else to do with bay leaves?


 
I use them in soups, stews and almost anything Creole/Cajun. Also in poaching liquids for fish, and bean dishes. When I boil shrimp/crab/crawfish bay leaves are a must. Hope this helps!!


Enjoy!


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## GotGarlic (Sep 12, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:


> I use them in soups, stews and almost anything Creole/Cajun. Also in poaching liquids for fish, and bean dishes. When I boil shrimp/crab/crawfish bay leaves are a must. Hope this helps!!
> 
> 
> Enjoy!



Cool, thanks for the ideas


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## buckytom (Sep 12, 2007)

andy's right, a bay laurel, or if it helps, laurel nobilis.

jeekinz, if you find a place that sells the, please let me know. i've been looking as well.

it's a mediterranean plant, so you'll have to treat it like any other subtropical flora. i doubt it would survive the winter outdoors in jersey.

gotgarlic, i also use bay leaves in a lot of soups and stews, and also in sausage and peppers, and in marinades for pork. goes well with garlic, cloves, and allspice.


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## Caine (Sep 12, 2007)

From George Carlin: "Put a bay leaf under each arm. It won't stop you from sweating, but you'll smell like soup!"


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## Fisher's Mom (Sep 12, 2007)

I didn't know you could use them for anything other than putting them in flour to discourage weevils!


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## Andy M. (Sep 12, 2007)

Fisher's Mom said:


> I didn't know you could use them for anything other than putting them in flour to discourage weevils!


 

FM, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you have bugs in your flour, chances are the eggs were in the package when it left the mill.


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## Fisher's Mom (Sep 12, 2007)

No, no I don't have weevils. But I have found them before and then I run around like a madwoman throwing everything out of the pantry that isn't canned or in a jar. Eeeew, weevils give me the creeps. But I never thought about how they got there - I guess I just thought that one magically got in my pantry and they are like rabbits or something. A friend told me that if I kept bay leaves in the flour, weevils will never get in it. I never thought weevils came in with the flour or whatever else! Thanks for letting me know.


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## bethzaring (Sep 12, 2007)

would you use this bay leaf?  I bought 8 ounces from Penzeys and this is one of them. Is it good?


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 12, 2007)

Miss Beth...

If they are all like that I would send/take them back. If it is a random leaf out of the 8oz. I would toss it. In short. No I would not use it.


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## Constance (Sep 12, 2007)

We always called them wheat bugs. I had a time with them when I lived in the south, until my MIL said to keep the flour in an air-tight container. I have also kept it in the deep freeze. I always heard the eggs were in the flour, too.
For some reason, I've never had them since we built this house (21 years ago). I don't know if flour is better than it used to be, or it's because our house is always cool. 

I've heard putting bay leaves in your cabinets will keep the roaches away. 

I use them in soups, stews, stocks, Italian Beef, beans...that sort of thing.
(Bay leaves, not roaches.)


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## Andy M. (Sep 12, 2007)

A guaranteed way to deal with any larva in the flour you buy is to freeze the bag of flour for 3 days then take it out of the freezer.  This freezing kills off any bug eggs in the flour.


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## Katie H (Sep 12, 2007)

Bay leaf does wonderful things to green split pea soup.


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## bethzaring (Sep 12, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:


> Miss Beth...
> 
> If they are all like that I would send/take them back. If it is a random leaf out of the 8oz. I would toss it. In short. No I would not use it.


 
I had to go look, and it was only a one ounce bag, sure seemed like a pound of leaves.....there were 4 leaves that look like the one in the picture.  I bought the bag in May 07 and have used many leaves by now.  I pulled that one out this week when making tomato juice and set it aside because I did not like the looks of it.  I tossed the other four as well...Thanks Uncle Bob..


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## Constance (Sep 12, 2007)

Katie E said:


> Bay leaf does wonderful things to green split pea soup.



I want some!


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 12, 2007)

Miss Beth.... I ordered a 4 oz bag one time. The lady said are you sure. I said yes. A quarter pound of bay leaves is at least a gazillion leaves. Not a problem however. When a recipe calls for 1 or 2 I use 6. I've been known to put a dozen in a big pot of gumbo! Twice that many to boil crawfish!

Enjoy!


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## Constance (Sep 12, 2007)

bethzaring said:


> I had to go look, and it was only a one ounce bag



 One ounce bag is plenty. LOL!


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## Katie H (Sep 12, 2007)

Constance said:


> I want some!



Come on down, Connie.  I have a nice, big ham bone in the freezer just waiting to hunker down in a big pot of split pea soup.  Can't beat a meal of that and a loaf of N.Y. Times Bread.  Pure heaven.


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## Dave Hutchins (Sep 12, 2007)

I put bay leaf in just about every thing I cook and In bbq sauce it give a flavor nobody can pick up on . beans/tomatoes/fish/gumbo. bloody mary's (a pinch)


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## bevkile (Sep 13, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> A guaranteed way to deal with any larva in the flour you buy is to freeze the bag of flour for 3 days then take it out of the freezer. This freezing kills off any bug eggs in the flour.


 
I was told that, but I trusted my old bay leaves more. I guess maybe I will give it a try.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 13, 2007)

Fisher's Mom said:


> I didn't know you could use them for anything other than putting them in flour to discourage weevils!



Do they make the flour taste funny? My aunt used to put a vanilla bean in her sugar canister to make it take on the vanilla flavor; I was wondering if the same thing happens with bay leaves in flour.


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## Dartssnake (Sep 13, 2007)

Try Richter's Herbs online. I was just directed there today by the local Herb Society of America representative.

I was sad. I was hoping to find somewhere more local that had a plant for sale that was a little more established, maybe 2 or more feet.


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## Fisher's Mom (Sep 13, 2007)

GotGarlic said:


> Do they make the flour taste funny? My aunt used to put a vanilla bean in her sugar canister to make it take on the vanilla flavor; I was wondering if the same thing happens with bay leaves in flour.


No, they don't affect the taste of the flour at all. Of course, after reading this thread, I'm wondering now if they do anything at all!


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## expatgirl (Nov 7, 2007)

There are usually 2-3 common types of varmints(probably more) that inhabit flour, rice, and meal based products (yep, that's about 1/10 or more of a common pantry).   Flour beetles (family Tenebrionide if you're into bugs), mealy moths, and  tiny weevils are the usual culprits.  The adults mate, and then lay their eggs in our pantry products.  The eggs then hatch and feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults.  Then serious love connections begin.  Some females have no desire to leave  home and so lay their eggs in the most convenient place---your precious flour, rice, grains, cornmeal, even found them making love and babies in a can of cayenne pepper.  Many moths, weevils, and beetles do eventually leave the love nest and fly to other places in your pantry.  THAT'S where your bay leaves can help.  They are repelled by bay leaves and rarely will you find NEW eggs being laid in products that have them.  I put a bay leaf in every bag of flour, rice,  cornmeal, oatmeal, etc., that I open.  When you buy  these products at a grocery, as has already been suggested, freeze them first to kill any eggs that have already been laid before you bought the item.  Otherwise you are going to start a vicious cycle.  YOu can also tape the bay leaves in and around your cupboards to discourage those seeking new homes to populate. If you see tiny, ugly looking moths  flying around the light in your pantry (off white color, thin heads, very small) you probably have them in your foodstuffs.  They like popcorn, too.  Good news--they won't breed in your delicious stews and soups that you make using the bay leaves, too.


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## Andy M. (Nov 7, 2007)

expat, you spend way too much time watching those little critters.  I have an image in my head of you with a magnifying glass and a note pad writing furiously as the little critters, "feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults. Then serious love connections begin".


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## expatgirl (Nov 7, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> expat, you spend way too much time watching those little critters.  I have an image in my head of you with a magnifying glass and a note pad writing furiously as the little critters, "feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults. Then serious love connections begin".



See what an entomology class (study of insects) will do to you????  I have never been the same since------and instead of a magnifying glasses we used microscopes.  If I had had the $$ back then like I do now, I really think that I would have become an entomologist.  I really do see a reality show here, don't you??


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## GotGarlic (Nov 7, 2007)

expatgirl said:


> Many moths, weevils, and beetles do eventually leave the love nest and fly to other places in your pantry.  THAT'S where your bay leaves can help.  They are repelled by bay leaves and rarely will you find NEW eggs being laid in products that have them.  I put a bay leaf in every bag of flour, rice,  cornmeal, oatmeal, etc., that I open.  When you buy  these products at a grocery, as has already been suggested, freeze them first to kill any eggs that have already been laid before you bought the item.  Otherwise you are going to start a vicious cycle.  YOu can also tape the bay leaves in and around your cupboards to discourage those seeking new homes to populate.



This is great, expatgirl. Now I have something to do with all those bay leaves! Thanks!


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## expatgirl (Nov 7, 2007)

Glad to hear it, GotGarlic!!


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## buckytom (Nov 7, 2007)

getting back to cooking with bay leaves: i like to put them in my sausage and peppers, tomato sauces, soups and stews, and they're a key ingredient in a pork marinade that i've been try to reproduce for a long time, from a favourite but now defunct restaurant.
it's a combo of a load of bay leaves and a load of garlic, with sweet sherry, black rum, allspice, peppercorns, and cloves.


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## college_cook (Nov 7, 2007)

I think it was the Top Chef Season 2 winner that made a sort of fritter batter for bay leaves.  He dipped the bay leaves in the batter, then deep fried them, and served them with a variety of fresh fruit.  To eat them, you bite down through the batter but not the leaf, and then you slide the leaf through your teeth, leaving no leaf, but only bay-scented batter in your mouth.  Never tried it myself, but the judges seemed impressed by it.


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## buckytom (Nov 7, 2007)

that sounds a lot like stuffed artichokes, collegecook. have you ever had those?


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## ErikC (Jan 5, 2008)

Chef Michael Smith of PEI, Canada, mentioned a mix he calls "Bay Spice." It involves equal parts dried Bay Leaves, Fennel Seeds and Coriander seeds. Run those through a spice grinder or a coffee bean grinder (I have an extra grinder for exactly that purpose), and you have a wonderful aromatic spice to add to chicken, seafood, vegetable, rice, or whatever you can think of.


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## Poppinfresh (Jan 6, 2008)

We put one of those in our garden.

It diededed

They don't do well in high desert environments, heh.


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## Billdolfski (Jan 19, 2008)

I'm pretty much repeated what a lot of ppl have been saying here... what _don't_ you put them in?

All manners of soups, stews, roasts (red or poultry)... it could go on and on


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## archiduc (Jan 24, 2008)

Hi GotGarlic,
You can use bay leaves to make a wonderful ice-cream. I make mine by infusing bayleaves in milk just brought up to simmering temperature, covering the pan and leaving the bay leaves to infuse for 20-30 minutes. From memory, I think I used about 8 dried leaves to 1 pint of milk. The milk is then strained and used to make an egg custard ice-cream.
Regards,
Archiduc


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