Bay Laurel
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Sometimes called sweet bay, sweet laurel, Grecian or Roman laurel, it is from the lauraceae family. Other members include avocado, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bay laurel is an ancient evergreen shrub or tree of the laurel family. It has purple black berries and leathery aromatic leaves that take well to formal clipping. Bay is a tree of the sun that is native to southern Europe and Asia Minor. The 16th century herbalist John Gerard noted that bay trees grow naturally in Spain, where they can reach 40 to 60 feet. 15
Roman poet Ovid made this plant famous in his poem that recounts the tale of Daphne and Apollo. As the story goes, the river god Peneus transformed the beautiful nymph Daphne into a bay laurel tree to save her from the unwanted advances of Apollo. As a tribute to his love and the beauty of the bay laurel, Apollo blessed the tree with evergreen leaves and named it as his sacred tree. It has since become a symbol of victory and merit. 11
In its native Mediterranean climate Bay Laurel is an evergreen tree reaching heights of over forty feet. In Northern climates Sweet Bay will grow like a shrub or small plant and is normally maintained at about six feet in height. If your growing region experiences cold, freezing temperatures Bay plants should be grown in containers and moved indoors during the winter. 2
This evergreen shrub is well acquainted with the interrelationship between fathers and daughters. It is said that Daphne, a Greek nymph, was greatly desired by Apollo, and during his pursuit of her, was transformed into a bay laurel tree by her father, Peneus. Apollo’s grief was so severe that he declared the bay laurel tree a sacred plant and wore a crown of laurel leaves in tribute of her, used it abundantly at his temple at Delphi and bestowed upon the first Olympians this wreath of honor. 40
Bay Oil Uses - Bay laurel essential oil, Laurus nobilus, is steam distilled from the leaves and branchlets, and small amounts from the berries. Traditionally, it was used to treat hysteria, indigestion, colic, and to promote menstruation and for fever. Used as a fragrance component in detergents, cosmetics, toiletries, and perfumes, especially aftershaves. A ‘fixed’ oil of bay, expressed from the berries is still used for sprains, bruises, earaches. Extensively used in processed food, alcoholic and soft drinks. 16
Plant your Bay Laurel herb in a twelve-inch wide container that has good drainage but is slow to dry out in hot weather. Sweet Bay is a slow grower and tolerates being slightly pot bound so you won’t need to transplant it to a larger container for at least several years. 26
Bay laurel can grow up to 26 feet with a spread of up to 12 feet. The evergreen leaves are fragrant, pointed, oval, glossy dark green with olive-green undersides. Small pale yellow waxy flowers bloom in the spring with green oval berries turning black in autumn. 9
You can find CA bay laurels most anywhere at native plant nurseries. Both are huge trees now. The flavor from the CA BAY is similar but distinct from the real bay in that the taste is pure pungent and on the eucalyptus side compared to the milder spicer real bay. If you are going to use the CA bay in dishes, don’t use a lot. Both trees make fine trimmed hedges. Otherwise they’d get too tall and unwieldly. 18
The bay laurel is a native plant of the Mediterranean region. The plant grows best in damp and shady sites in gardens. As it is extensively used in many Mediterranean cuisines, the bay laurel is a very popular garden herb especially in Europe. Leaves from the bay laurel are picked all year round and used in many culinary preparations. 4
Bay laurel is the true laurel of Greek and Roman mythology. A poet laureate is an accomplished poet, and the Roman poet, Ovid, retold the story of the Greek nymph, Daphne, who was transformed into a laurel tree by her father, Peneus, so that she could avoid the amorous pursuit of the god, Apollo. Cupid had shot an arrow into the fair maiden’s heart so that she would not love Apollo.) Thereafter, Apollo wore a wreath of laurel to show his love for Daphne. Laurel has always symbolized victory and merit, and a baccalaureate (baca lauri, Latin for "laurel berry") still is a symbol of accomplishment. Bay laurel has been credited with magical properties, like protecting from witches, the devil and lightning. 3
The leaves and berries of bay laurel contain the essential oils eugenol, cineol and geraniol, which account for the distinctive spicy aroma. Infusions are reputed to soothe the stomach and relieve flatulence. An oil pressed from the berries was once a popular liniment for arthritis and sore muscles, and still is used in perfumes, candles and soaps. 3
To harvest leaves from your Sweet Bay plant cut the older leaves from the stem with a pair of scissors, or if you’re careful you can simply pull the leaves off of the stem by hand. The large, older Bay leaves are preferred for cooking because they will contain more of the plant’s essential oil and impart more flavor to your favorite recipes. 26
Bay laurel is used to attract romance and love. There are a number of ways one can approach this process. The leaves of this herb may be offered in a fire as a sacrifice or the oil can be used to dress a candle which is then burned while meditating. 25
Fresh Bay leaves will be stronger than the dried herb and if you keep a live Bay plant around there’s really no need to preserve the leaves or purchase the spice from your grocer. Bay Laurel leaves are commonly used to season and add flavor to soups, stews, pot roasts, and other slow cooking kitchen recipes. Remove the leaves before serving because the leaves are tough and may have sharp edges. 26
Don’t let the time of year or weather deter you from cooking with fresh or dried bay leaves. Cleaned fresh leaves can be a great addition to grilling marinades and can be threaded on a skewer between pieces of meat, fish and seafood. Plump, sweet scallops wedged between a fresh bay leaf and an orange slice and grilled would be an easy and delicious way to incorporate bay leaves into warm-weather meals. Just remember that fresh bay leaves take less time to flavor foods than dried and should be removed from cooking liquids sooner than dried. 40
References
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