Discussion Board

OK one of Mom's tenants (she's a commerical property manager) is a tailor and I've gotten to know him pretty well with all the weight I've lost. He knows I love veggies, so last week he sent a bunch of green onions, arugula, lettuces, dill, mint and bay leaves. I thought I remember reading that bay leaves have to be dried to use. I've never seen a fresh bay leaf. These bay leaves seem a bit dry but not as dry as what you buy in the store. Am I suppose to dry further?

You know those little packages of herbs hanging in the produce department? Usually 2/3 of an ounce? That's where I get fresh bay leaves. I just stick it in the butter drawer in the door of the fridge. They eventually dry. I use them at whatever stage they're in at the time.

ok so they aren't poisonous?

Funny I never noticed bay leaves at the store except the dried ones. this is a big bag, a food storage size. I'll split it with mom and let her have some too.

We get a bay leaf wreath sent to us every year by my mother-in-law at Thanksgiving. When it arrives it's very fresh and fragrant. The instructions that come with it say you can use them in cooking; it doesn't say anything about drying them first. You might want to let them dry a bit before storing them in an airtight jar.

Some herbs have a stronger flavor after they're dried. I don't know if this would be the case with bay leaf--I have used the fresh ones in cooking but haven't noticed one way or another whether the taste is milder, etc.

isn't that a unique idea. that gives you bay leaves to last the year too. I thought I used a lot but I don't use a wreath's worth.

Using the whole wreath--now THAT would be a big batch of soup!!!!
I put aside a couple of jars of them before they get too dusty. As the leaves dry it starts to get kind of crinkly...when it finally starts turning yellow or fading we toss it into the compost pile. Nothing ever really goes to waste around here!

I hope not. We have a Bay in the backyard, and I take them (leaves) off the tree and put them in what I'm cooking.

That's what I do, too. We have a TINY bay laurel, I'm talking 1.5 feet tall. I still get quite a few leaves from it while letting it keep most of them. I also pick them from my friend's house--the one who dug up the baby bay laurel and gave it to me. I know it is not the same variety as they grow in California, these leaves are quite a bit smaller.

Fulenn

This is how I use bay leaves as well . . with three growing in the back yard - I just pull leaves and throw them in. Because they're evergreen, we're never without bay leaves!

If they're poisonous, it's slow acting - I've been doing this for 20 years!