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Bay Leaves

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  • Murtle
    Murtle Posts: 4,154 Forumite
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    louB wrote:
    Thanks everyone, Im a bit ashamed to say that its been there two years and Ive only just realised what it is! :o

    I'm so chuffed its that easy!

    Thanks again!

    better late then never :T have fun cooking with it now.

    I take it then it grows well without too much interference or anything?!

    M
  • mirakl
    mirakl Posts: 484 Forumite
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    Throw them into the water when you're cooking rice, you'll notice a difference.
    My Doctor told me that "1 out of 3 people who start smoking will eventually die." The other two apparently became immortal.

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  • louB_5
    louB_5 Posts: 249 Forumite
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    Murtle, my tree is huge and I only ever touch it when I need to chop a bit down as I can't get into my shed!! :o

    My BF mom buys dried bayleaves and I dread to think how much she pays! I can pick some now and distribute them out, thanks to everyone on here I'm sorted for xmas pressies now! :D
    £2.00 Coin Savers Club - £72.00 :j :j


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  • arkonite_babe
    arkonite_babe Posts: 7,375 Forumite
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    I just missed a bay tree on freecycle :( I'd love to have one instead of using dried leaves. Wonder if the dog would leave it alone though :think:
  • Bluepork
    Bluepork Posts: 9 Forumite
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    Bay leaves can be used fresh off the tree BUT they are one of the few herbs that work better dried.
  • purplemoon
    purplemoon Posts: 674 Forumite
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    I had a small potted one that died suddenly, and although I loved to add the leaves to food I still haven't brought myself to buy a packet 2 years on! Enjoy it.
  • whistler-alison
    whistler-alison Posts: 281 Forumite
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    I bought a bay tree in the spring but have never got round to planting it into the garden and given what you have said above, that might not be a bad thing :cheesy: Anyway I have been worrying about whether it will be OK in the pot I bought it in over the winter. The pot isn't very big, probably only 30cms and I worry that it might freeze over. It is also top heavy being about 4ft tall and falls over. It is about three or four stems instead of just one trunk - like a bush rather than a tree. Shall I repot it or have I left it too late. Or should I bring it indoors? I'm worried I might kill it indoors, as I have done with many plants. Because we are out all day we always forget to open the curtains and the plant gets no light!
  • Zziggi
    Zziggi Posts: 2,485 Forumite
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    whistler-alison wrote:
    I bought a bay tree in the spring but have never got round to planting it into the garden and given what you have said above, that might not be a bad thing :cheesy: Anyway I have been worrying about whether it will be OK in the pot I bought it in over the winter. The pot isn't very big, probably only 30cms and I worry that it might freeze over. It is also top heavy being about 4ft tall and falls over. It is about three or four stems instead of just one trunk - like a bush rather than a tree. Shall I repot it or have I left it too late. Or should I bring it indoors? I'm worried I might kill it indoors, as I have done with many plants. Because we are out all day we always forget to open the curtains and the plant gets no light!

    Spoken to OH who informs me that you should leave it in the pot and make sure it doesn't dry out completely throughout winter. If you leave it outside make sure it is in a shaded place out of wind/driving rain etc etc. The new leaves may tend to go a bit brown on the edges (but if you use them in cooking you may have used all these up anyway). The older leaves will stay fine. THE KEY THING IS TO AVOID FROST. Might be safer to just stick it in a cold garage (at least out of the wind/rain/snow). Ideally a COLD porch as this would mean it is out of the cold weather but will still get light.
    HTH
  • Seakay
    Seakay Posts: 4,265 Forumite
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    I only have a small garden and my bay tree is in the ground, but every year I prune it back hard and make sure that no new branches are growing out of the lower trunk. I would suggest taking a few rough measurements (eg width of leafy bit, how far off the ground etc) and trimming the tree back to these each year, say in October. I suggest the measuremets because you'll never believe how much it grows, and it's easy not to be ruthless enough.
    I always use the leaves fresh, but usually more than the recipe suggests, and offer prunings to friends and on Freecycle.
  • whistler-alison
    whistler-alison Posts: 281 Forumite
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    thanks zziggi and your OH. I might just be able to squeeze it into the porch with the recycling boxes! If I get it into a larger pot in the spring will it be OK outside next winter? I'm on the edge of SE London so don't expect it too be too cold, but I suppose it only takes one frost to kill something off.
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