Bay Leaves

Zziggi

I saw a bay leaf tree mispriced today (£1.99 instead of £19.99) so i just had to get it. Looks like a nice little ornamental type garden tree. Can i also dry the leaves to use in cooking? If so how/when do i need to take the leaves off the tree?

Thank you

apprentice_tycoon

I have one of these, if it's not kept under control it will grow quite large - pick the leaves at anytime and dry them in the airing cupboard.
I use lots of these at Christmas, I make little pots of pate and top them with clarified butter, when it's nearly set I position a couple of bay leaves cut to look like holly leaves, (little semi circles cut out of the sides with nail scissors) finish with little cocktail cherries or dried cranberries to look like the holly berries.

carly

There is no need to dry the leaves to use in cooking. Commercial ones are dried to prevent spoilage whilst in store. Just snip off the leaves as you need them and add to your recipes. This is the way I use them.

Bay trees are hardy in all but severe winters in most parts of the UK, but you can always protect it by bringing it indoors or covering with horticultural fleece if you live in an exposed position.

MATH

I never dry the leaves before use either. Take the warning of keeping the tree under control seriously. Mine Bay is now well over 13ft high,

squeaky

My neighbours keep theirs in pots about 18" 50cm wide and at ten years old now they've made just 4-5ft (about 1.5mtrs). Presumably this is because their root ball is restricted in size so if you don't want the thing to get out of control you could try a suitable pot.

Zziggi

Thanks for the tips. I didn't realise you could just pick them and use them in cooking (without drying them). We bought it in a little pot so i am hoping it'll stay small as a garden ornament. Thanks for the tips about keeping an eye on it growing.

I love the idea of cutting it like holly for display - great idea!

katiepops_2

MATH wrote:

I never dry the leaves before use either. Take the warning of keeping the tree under control seriously. Mine Bay is now well over 13ft high,

Mine is currently at least as tall as the house, and as wide as the garden. I so need to do something about it! On the plus side, it does afford complete privacy from the houses on the street behind us.

Kate

Rikki

I couldn't believe how big they got and even with visious pruning it still tries to take over.

As for cooking I use them fresh and slightly crush the leaf to release the flavours.

Yoga_Girl

I have a small bay tree, its never grown big as I keep it in a pot on the patio.

We use the leaves all the time in cooking, just snip off leaves as required and pop them straight into the pot. They don't disintegrate during cooking so you can retrieve them just before serving.

Savvy_Sue

It is a pernicious weed and has taken over our rockery! Do not let it out of the pot! (Except to put the leaves into the cooking pot!)

svmitche

MATH wrote:

I never dry the leaves before use either. Take the warning of keeping the tree under control seriously. Mine Bay is now well over 13ft high,

Snap, my mum and dad moved into a house with a seriously untended garden, and when we'd cleared away most of it we discovered a giant bay tree down the garden. It must be about the same height as yours. Smells lovely when dad's doing the pruning!

We don't bother to dry the leaves either unless it's for decoration, as apprentice tycoon said.