Herb Garden Gal

What Is Bay Laurel

Bay laurel, sometimes referred to as sweetbay or sweet bay laurel, is an evergreen tree native to the region encompassing the Mediterranean and Turkey.

It is the source of the staple cooking herb ‘bay leaves’.

Although dried bay leaves are the most readily available form of seasoning from this evergreen tree, fresh fragrant bay leaves are one of my favourite herbs.  They have a strong and complex aromatic scent that infuses almost any savory dish with its floral and spicy fragrance.

Fresh bay leaves are dark green, shiny and smooth with a brighter scent than their dried counterparts.

It is handy to grow your own bay tree for fresh leaves – just go outside and pick a couple of leaves for a recipe whenever you need it.

Latin name:  Laurus nobilis

How To Grow The Bay Laurel Tree

Planting and growing a bay tree is fairly easy, and you will be rewarded with fresh bay leaves year round.  And one bay tree is all you need for your kitchen herb garden.

Bay Laurel is a perennial tree, hardy in zones 8 through 10.  Bay trees grow in full sun to partial shade, and like well-drained soil.

Planted outdoors in warm climates, the bay tree can grow anywhere from 10 feet high to 40 feet high.  A potted bay laurel can grow up to about 5 feet.

Bay laurel flowers are not very noticeable – a creamy greenish yellow with no petals, forming purple fruits.  Living in a cold climate, I have never seen my bay tree flower or bear fruit.

The sweet bay leaf plant is an attractive ornamental tree that can be grown as a landscape tree in warm climates.

The bay laurel tree is also an ideal container plant, and can be grown indoors as a houseplant.

In colder climates, grow your bay tree in a large container that can be brought indoors for the winter, and back outdoors in the summer.  Bay trees overwinter indoors really well in a sunny window.

Occasionally, when you bring your bay laurel indoors, all the leaves will dry on it.  Usually, I have found this will happen if the bay leaf plant is exposed to too much cold before being brought indoors.

If your bay leaves start drying on the plant, pluck off the dry leaves and store them for use in your recipes.  Don’t throw out the tree though – new bay leaves will grow back on your tree.

Because it is an attractive tree, the bay leaf tree can also be incorporated with other planters for decorative patio gardens

Bay trees are easy to prune to suit your size needs.  They can be cut back without harm.  You can keep a bay tree small by clipping it regularly.  Use your clipped bay leaves for cooking, or dry them for future use.

Bay trees can be started from seeds or cuttings.

Starting a Bay Laurel from seed:  Seeds germinate at a temperature at about 75 degrees F within about 4 weeks.  However, they tend to be difficult to start from seed. Seeds tend to turn moldy easily.  Also, seeds that dry out in storage will not germinate.

Starting a Bay Laurel from cuttings:  Cuttings taken from young green shoots in the spring are the most likely to root.

The easiest way to start a bay tree is to purchase a young plant from a nursery.  Bay trees can grow for many years, so it’s definitely worth the investment in a tree.

Harvesting and Storing Sweet Bay Leaves

Harvesting Bay Leaves

Bay leaves can be harvested at any time throughout the year.

Pinch or snip off older leaves as you need them. When you prune your bay tree, dry the bay leaves from the branches you pruned off for use later.

Drying Bay Leaves

Bay leaves dry easily, and can be dried as they are harvested. Lay them out flat to dry on a surface with some air circulation.  The bay leaves will dry within a few days.  The colour of the bay leaves lightens as they dry.

If you want your bay leaves to stay flat during drying, place a board or some other type of light weight on the leaves, to keep them from curling as they dry.

Store dried bay leaves whole in a tightly sealed container once they’re dry.

Culinary Uses for Sweet Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are edible, and not poisonous.  Because they are a tough, leathery leaf, whole bay leaves should be removed before serving your dish, to avoid someone choking on it.  You can also grind up bay leaves for use in your recipes.

The leaves of the bay laurel are used in many cuisines around the world– bay leaves are prevalent throughout recipes from Europe, North America, the Middle East, and India (not to be confused with Indian bay leaf, which is related to cinnamon).

Bay leaves are a fundamental herb in French, Spanish and Creole soups, stews, marinades, and sauces.

Dried bay leaves are readily found in the spice section in supermarkets.  By using your own fresh or dried bay leaves, you can be sure that you are using bay leaves that have not been sitting on a store shelf for an extended period of time.

Bay leaves are a staple herb addition to soup and stew recipes.  Meat fish and poultry are complemented by the aroma and flavor of bay leaves.

And bay leaves are a must-have seasoning in crab and lobster boils.

Also add bay leaves to:

• Tomato saucePickling brines

• When cooking game meat

• Cooking water when cooking beans, lentils, rice or other grains

• Water when poaching fish

• Tuck bay leaves into chicken cavity before roasting

It’s hard to go wrong by adding a bay leaf or two to most savory dishes.

So, grow a bay tree, and enjoy its beauty in your garden, and flavor in your cooking.

To your herb gardening success,
Barb

Copyright © 2011 www.HerbGardenGal.com.  All rights reserved.

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What Is Thyme

Thyme is a very aromatic herb of Mediterranean origin.  And today, thyme is a staple herb in any kitchen herb garden.

Dried thyme is readily available in the herb section of supermarkets. And thyme plants are easy to find at the garden center.

Thyme is a perennial evergreen shrub that grows low to the ground.  Due to its compact growth, thyme varieties are commonly used as a ground cover or border plant.  Thymes are also commonly planted in windowsill herb gardens.

Latin:  Thymus

Thyme Blossoms

The tiny flowers of the thyme herb bloom in June and July.  Bees love these tiny thyme blossoms, that range in colour fom pink to a soft purple.  There are also varieties that bloom with white flowers and darker hues of red/pink.

Thyme Varieties

A wide range of thyme varieties exist.  The most common thymes have the traditional scent and flavor that we tend to associate with thyme.

Thymes with citrus undertones are also common, with distinct citrus undertones of lemon, lime, and orange.    As well as thymes with undertones of spices, such as caraway thyme and nutmeg thyme.

Thyme Favourites

English thyme – most popular variety, and what we associate with the traditional flavor and aroma of thyme

French thyme –  flavor is a little sweeter than English thyme, and slightly different in a way that’s hard to describe.  Not as hardy as English thyme

Silver thyme – same flavor and aroma as English thyme.  Attractive variegated foliage of green leaves edged with white.

Lemon Thyme – has a distinct aroma and taste of lemon.  Looks and grows very much like the standard English thyme.

Wild thyme / Mother-of-thyme – creeping thyme that forms a dense mat, and tolerates being walked on, perfuming the air with each step.

Woolly thyme – grayish woolly leaves form a dense low carpet as it grows.  Not used in cooking due to its lack of scent and flavor.

How To Grow Thyme

Due to is compact growth and versatility in the kitchen, thyme is a first choice pick for windowsill and container herb gardens.

Thymes are also commonly planted as ground covers, or border plants along walkways.

Thymes are easy to care for plants.  They do not require any special attention once they are planted.

Thyme likes full sun, and can tolerate partial shade.  Thymes need good drainage to grow healthy, so plant your thyme in well-drained soil – this is one plant that is perfectly happy in sandy soil.

Because thyme plants are commonly found in garden centres in the spring, it is easy to find thyme plants to start from nursery seedlings.

Thyme plants can also be started from seed, or by propagating from existing plants in your or a friend’s garden.

Propagating Thyme.  Thyme can be propagated by taking stem cuttings, dividing a mature plant, or by layering.  Best time to propagate a thyme plant is in the spring.

Starting Thyme from Seed:  Plant thyme seeds indoors about a month before your last frost date.  Thyme seeds require about 70 degrees F / 21 degrees C temperature to germinate.

Overwintering Thyme:  Although thymes are hardy down to zones 4 and 5, I have found over-wintering thymes is not always reliable.  Low growing ground-cover thymes overwinter in the northern zones better than the bushier thymes.

To overwinter thyme in your garden, cover the thyme plants with mulch to protect them from winter’s deep freezes.

In milder climates, you should have no problem overwintering thyme.  Mulch for winter protection, if In doubt.

Harvesting and Storage

Thyme sprigs can be harvested for use at any time.

To harvest a larger amount of thyme cut the thyme herb plant back, but no further down than two inches above the base of the plant.  Harvest the thyme this way early to mid-season to give your thyme plant enough time to recover.  Bulk harvesting your thyme plant too close to winter will jeopardize winter hardiness.

Drying Thyme.  Thyme is easy to dry.  Tie the thyme stems together and hang to dry easily.  Or strip the leaves of the thyme stems and dry on a fine mesh screen.

Freezing Thyme.  Thyme also freezes well for winter use.  Wrap a few thyme sprigs in plastic wrap, and then freeze these individual packets in freezer bags.  Alternately, strip the thyme leaves from the stems, and freeze in ice cube trays.

Cooking With Thyme

Thyme is a versatile herb that goes very well with most foods – meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, cheese are all great seasoned with thyme herbs.  Thyme is a staple seasoning in many soups and stews.

7 Tips for using thyme in cooking:

• Bouquet garni – traditional soup and stew seasoning.  Tie together sprigs of thyme, parsley, and bay leaf.  Toss this packet into the pot when making stews or soup stocks.

• Lemon thyme and citrus thymes in general, are best used fresh as the citrus gets lost in the drying process.

• Drop thyme or lemon thyme into boiling soup last-minute, for a beautiful aromatic touch to the soup.

• Lemon thyme pairs nicely with chicken.  Use it when seasoning your chicken for roasting.  Or, I like to add a bit of lemon thyme to a simple bread stuffing, before stuffing the chicken for roasting.

• Caraway thyme is an awesome seasoning for beef.

• The tiny delicate thyme blossoms are edible, and can be added to salads or used as a garnish.

• Pair thyme with goat cheese and balsamic dressing for a simple elegant snack or appetizer.  Get the recipe here:  Marinated Goat Cheese With Thyme

To your herb gardening success,
Barb

Copyright © 2011 www.HerbGardenGal.com.  All rights reserved.

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Want to use this article in your Ezine or Website?  You can, as long as you include the complete article and the Copyright information.