Bay
Laurel
(Common bay leaf)

Photo: Bay
Leaf, Hutchinson farmhouse garden, David
MacTavish, July 5, 2013.
|
Grown at Hutchinson Farm since
about 1984. Available by chance as seed shipment
and germination is never a certainty.
|
- Description
Laurus nobilis
Winter Hardiness: move indoors
Light Requirements: Sun, part sun
Height: 3' - 8'
Habit: Upright
Where to plant: in containers
- In the
Garden
Bay Laurel (common bay leaf) should be
grown in a container: outdoors in the summer,
indoors for winter. This slow growing shrub may be
kept in its pot for one year, then transplanted
into larger and larger pots as needed. Our first
bay laurel shrub is now over 30 years old, we keep
it pruned to about six feet tall.
- In the
Kitchen
Native to the Mediterranean, bay
leaf is a foundation flavour of French
cuisine, frequently added to soups and stews,
meat, fish, and poultry dishes.
- Harvest:
Cut off leaves as needed
Preserve: can be dried, but best used fresh.
|