Bay Leaf/Bay Leaves: The Topic

[OliverB]

interesting, thanks! That fine is the reason I don't have a Cali bush yet, I have yet to find a little one where it's ok to take it or order it from the nursery. It smells great on top of Mt Diablo on a hot summer day, hiking amongst hundreds of these. Never had any issues from handling them.

Interesting idea with putting them in the pantry, will they keep those tiny moths away that sometimes get into nuts or flour etc?

[Wholemeal Crank]

I tried sprouting some seeds I found on a sidewalk from a tree in someone's yard (not from the parks), but didn't succeed. I've only seen the plants twice since I moved to LA, both from specialty native plant nurseries.

Edited November 9, 2009 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[LuckyGirl]

The bay leaves I have are organic, came in a plastic box and are from "Jacob's Farm". I probably bought them at Whole Foods.

They have probably been in my freezer for 2 years if not three.

Like I said in an earlier post, they are particularly small, like a quater the size of most bay leaves. I wonder if these small leaves are particular to a specific type of bay.

[Wholemeal Crank]

These are my two umbellularia, from two different native plant nurseries. Their leaf shape is not quite the same, but they do have the same characteristic odor.

and

Not sure either of these photos are clear enough at this scale to demonstrate that the young leaves can be quite small; and the leaf shape is also pretty variable between the very elongated potted plant and the less elongate one planted in the yard.

[John Rosevear]

Sparrowgrass, I recently got a bag of Penzey's bay leaves, and they're far and away the most aromatic (and best-tasting) dried bay leaves I've ever had, much better than the ones I used to get from a local foodie shop (which were probably from Frontier co-op, now that I think about it). Maybe you got a bad batch?

[Chris Amirault]

I find myself for the first time with a few fresh bay leaves and want to know two things. How do I know that these aren't those awful "California" bay leaves, the ones that every cookbook tells me to avoid, instead of "Turkish"? And do I use them just as I would dry?

[andiesenji]

The true bay when fresh has a sweet, aromatic scent with none of the "linseed" aroma. The California bay leaves have a distinct aroma more like eucalyptus.

The shape is usually different, the true bay being broader, the California longer and narrower.

The best way to check the scent is to scratch the underside of a leaf with your fingernail. The cells containing the essential oil are on the underside.

[qrn]

Good topic, and timely...I have a laurus nobilus that is in a pot that I have had for at least 15 years,,

I also have two other plants that I have propagated from the original plant that are just getting going.

Anyway the question,,, some(most of the older leaves on the original plant ) dont seem to have much flavor.

I wonder if I were to strip a goodly amount of the older leaves so I would get more new leaves, will the plant survive???? I have done evergreen bonsai, and thus, am aware that if you take to much growth off of them the chemical that goes back into the plant from the green growth, is not there, the plant will die..

..Is that going to be the case with the L/N, if I cut lots of leaves from it????

Any direction would be appreciated! I am in Colorado, and the plants are esentially indoor plants, except for some time in the summer on the patio in a light area..

Bud

[andiesenji]

You can trim as much as 1/4 of the leaves, starting at the bottom of the plant and remove just a few, wait a couple of days and remove some more.

I have used this method to form a "standard" or a single bare stem with a round "head" at the top. When starting with a newly potted scion which has leaves from top to bottom, I would spend a couple of weeks doing the gradual pruning and these were done in the greenhouse so would be essentially the same as your indoor plants.

It is generally the leaves that are about a year old that have the most flavor. When harvesting, without taking the whole stem or branch, I take the leaves nearest the trunk and leave the younger leaves nearer the tip.

[qrn]

Great!!Thanks for the direction, They are just starting to get the spring growth spurt, so I will start on the thinning out of the things,,,,

again,, I really needed some advice from someone who was really aware of what I was talking about!!!

Bud

[boudin noir]

I've been cooking for 45 years. I've made stews,braises, soups, and gumbos adding dried bay leaves or not depending on whether or not I had them. I once made baked potatos with fresh bay leave inserted into a slot. The only time I think the bay added anything was in the potatos.

I understand that fresh bay is better than dried bay. But if I buy fresh bay by the next time I use it, it will be dried bay.

Is dried bay useful or is it ritual?

[CatPoet]

It useful for me, I can most often taste the difference.

[scubadoo97]

It useful for me, I can most often taste the difference.

Me too but haven't done blind tastings to prove it. I often add 4-5 big leaves when making a big pot of Cuban black beans and also use a powdered bay leaf when starting a sofrito

[MelissaH]

I can tell a difference between using bay leaves and not. My husband cannot.

[takadi]

I think most of the time people are using stale leaves...and people don't use enough of it.  Also, most people also use bay leaves in applications that require long cooking times. I find that after an hour of simmering, the smell of bay begins to diminish.  When you roast the bay leaf for a short bit with the aromatics and give it moderate simmering time, you can definitely taste the difference. Bay leaf adds something that can't really be isolated on its own, but when it's missing from a dish, you definitely notice something "flat" about it. 

Edited August 9, 2014 by takadi (log)

[Shelby]

My husband ALWAYS knows when I leave the bay leaf out of something.  Drives me crazy lol.

 

I use the dried ones, too.  And, like others have said, I have learned to use more than just a couple for more flavor.

[andiesenji]

I've always used bay leaves in stews, roasts - under the skin of roast poultry.

 

I have two bay "trees" - actually big bushes - and as they are evergreen in this climate, I can pick them all year.   I do dry some because there is a subtle difference in flavor (less sweet) in the dried leaves.

 

I lightly crush the fresh ones and simmer them in the milk or cream which will go into a custard - the flavor is distinct and complementary to both sweet and savory applications.

[huiray]

I won't say I can always tell the difference between using bay leaves or not in any dish I cook - but in my conscious recollection there is a difference.  As others have said, more than just one or two leaves are used.  Yes, the age of the dried leaves would matter.  I've actually fished out several leaves from some stews I was making in the past (after adding multiple leaves) because as it was cooking along the aroma and taste was such that I thought there was a danger of it becoming a tad overpowering in the finished dish.  I find it hard to describe the "taste"/"smell" combination, but one way to think about it (for me) is that a certain "body" and tint gets added  to the palette of smells and tastes.  

 

For myself, I think there is a difference between fresh leaves and dried leaves, not that fresh is necessarily better than dried - the fresh adds a "greener" tint...and maybe a more resinous touch as well; but I have not used fresh bay leaves that often.  

 

BTW, I assume we are talking about Laurus nobilis leaves, whether fresh or dried.  California bay, Umbellularia californica, might be used as "fresh bay leaves" by some (or is "more accessible" in the US?) - but it is a different plant and the taste and smell is NOT the same or interchangeable.  There's an older eG thread that also talks about the two types.

[janeer]

I think if you can't tell the difference the bay leaves are probably too old. Most people keep them way too long. Fresh ones are pretty assertive.

[scubadoo97]

I think if you can't tell the difference the bay leaves are probably too old. Most people keep them way too long. Fresh ones are pretty assertive.

They are. I've purchased semi fresh in clamshell containers at green markets and a few grocery stores. They are more assertive. When using dried I used quite a few

[SobaAddict70]

I stuff figs with chocolate and almonds, then let them sit in a mixture of dried bay leaves and sugar for a week. Shake the container once a day every day.

Makes for a great light dessert.

[kayswv]

I stuff figs with chocolate and almonds, then let them sit in a mixture of dried bay leaves and sugar for a week. Shake the container once a day every day.

Makes for a great light dessert.

Soba Addict70, do you chop the almonds? 

Kay

[SobaAddict70]

They're slivered.

You can chop them if you like. They need to be small enough to fit the figs.

[cyalexa]

I buy fresh bay leaves at the farmer's market and freeze them. They are only available sporadically so I stock up.

[FeChef]

When i have dried bay leaves in the pantry i use it in chili, soups, and stocks. I dont think i ever notice with or without. To tell you the truth, I could not even tell you what bay leaf taste like. Obviously it taste like bay leaf, but i dont know what that is..lol. I picked up a bottle of this dried turkish bay leaf a few months ago at  bargain store for $1usd. I priced this same bottle at a grocery store and it was $6.97usd. Thats crazy, especially when i dont even notice a difference.