# Another Bay Leaf harvest. Anyone want some? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2024, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742 "2024-11-25T05:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/1 "2024-11-25T05:38:31Z")
I have some bay leaf branches which got pruned after growing too close to the power line. Awhile back I offered up fresh bay leaves to anyone who wanted to try some. I thought I’d do it again while they’re still fresh. They’re typically used in stews and soups. They have a nice distinctive scent, unlike the dried leaves from the store. I use them in stews, chili, chowders and other soups, corned beef from scratch, cassoulet, stuff like that. Their scent remind me of bergamot, like in Earl Grey tea. If anyone would like to try some fresh bay leaves, PM me your address and I’ll mail you what I can fit in a regular envelope, until I run out of stamps. Bon appétit! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/2 "2024-11-25T05:41:57Z")
Do bay leaves really do anything? I’ve used them many times, and they have come in many sizes and variable levels of dryness. I am not sure I have ever been able to discern a difference in recipes I have used them. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/3 "2024-11-25T05:46:45Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Do bay leaves really do anything? I’ve used them many times, and they have come in many sizes and variable levels of dryness. > > I am not sure I have never been able to discern a difference in recipes I have used them.- The fresh ones do. The dry ones aren’t worth the trouble of picking them out before you accidently eat one. > [@Do Bay Leaves even have a Flavor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bay-leaves-even-have-a-flavor/811090/6): > > That said one doper – and I apologize for forgetting who – sent me some fresh bay leaves from her tree in the backyard a number of years back. Those _definitely_ had an immediately identifiable smell and taste to them. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/4 "2024-11-25T05:46:58Z")
According to [Ethan Chlebowski](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Iksy2CNmg) they do, but not in an overpowering manner. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/5 "2024-11-25T05:48:09Z")
In my experience they do, esp. fresh (or freshly dried)-- I’d say its a subtle flavor though, an herbal earthy “perfume” floral, but earthy. I usually add to braises, broths or sauces, a 2 or 3 at a time. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/6 "2024-11-25T05:59:01Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Do bay leaves really do anything? My late husband - when we got fresh leaves for the 1st time - likened them to the bass in an orchestra. You don’t really hear (taste) them, but you’d notice if they were missing. They add a deep undertone. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/7 "2024-11-25T06:01:22Z")
I can attest that I once put _too much bay_ into a chicken soup. It definitely tasted herby and a little bitter, with too much perfumyness about it. Really quite awful. But I still don’t really like chicken soup without any bay. I’m just a little more careful about it. For the doubters, I’d suggest just putting a couple of leaves in a teacup and pour boiling water over them. Then let it steep for a while and take a sip. I guarantee you will recognize the flavor instantly. (But it won’t be good by itself.) ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/8 "2024-11-25T06:08:18Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I’d suggest just putting a couple of leaves in a teacup and pour boiling water over them That’s actually a method in Indian cookery-- making a “tea” of various spices and adding it to a base gravy. It’s called an “akhni stock” (I think). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/9 "2024-11-25T07:38:05Z")
My parents had a bay tree. One of the tricks that my father taught me was using the smaller branches as skewers for barbecuing meat. [Espetada: A Marriage of Bay and Beef](https://www.177milkstreet.com/2020/08/espetada-a-marriage-of-bay-and-beef) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/10 "2024-11-25T09:15:21Z")
My recollection from a while ago (as in, 1-2 years or perhaps more) was that The Splendid Table mentioned someone who scoffed at bay leaves (that was news to me - I’ve always thought they added something). So, I googled “Splendid Table / bay leaves” and [got this](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=bay+leaves&as_epq=Splendid+Table&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&as_filetype=&tbs=) Haven’t really looked at the sites appearing in the list, but a glance suggests that they generally support bay leaves. I have some growing in my yard; I use them as appropriate, and don’t really thing about them much otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/11 "2024-11-25T16:14:28Z")
I have a bay tree living in a pot. It spends summers out on the front porch, and winters inside the house next to a window. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/12 "2024-11-25T17:17:29Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I am not sure I have ever been able to discern a difference in recipes I have used them. There are different varieties. American bay leaves are much stronger than European ones. When I first moved to the US I didn’t realize this and put in the amount I was used to using in the UK. Whoof! So much for that casserole… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/13 "2024-11-25T17:43:14Z")
My neighbor has one on our fence line, so I can harvest a few leaves whenever I get low. Used one last night. I dry them and put them in the spice cabinet. I don’t use many, but it’s another instance of eating very local. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/14 "2024-11-25T21:19:03Z")
First batch of leaves have been mailed. I still have a lot more available. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/15 "2024-11-25T23:43:48Z")
I’ve never had fresh bay leaves, but I often use dried packaged leaves from the spice rack in sauces and can confirm that they make a discernible difference. I only put one leave for instance in a tomato pasta sauce and let it simmer for maybe 15 minutes, and you can definitely taste the characteristic flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/16 "2024-11-26T02:28:34Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > There are different varieties. American bay leaves are much stronger than European ones. European bay leaves come from the laurel tree, Laurus nobilis. There’s also California bay, or Umbellularia californica. They’re in the same botanical family, but California bay leaves are much stronger, and their flavor is a bit medicinal, to the point where they can be unpleasant. California bay leaves are not usually sold commercially, though. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/17 "2024-11-26T12:41:33Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I have a bay tree living in a pot. It spends summers out on the front porch, and winters inside the house next to a window We had one for twenty years. Plucked leaves as needed. Then the tree got scale (IIRC). My gf left it out during a light frost in an attempt to clear up the problem, but the tree ended up dying. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/18 "2024-11-26T20:15:11Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > European bay leaves come from the laurel tree, Laurus nobilis. There’s also California bay, or Umbellularia californica. They’re in the same botanical family, but California bay leaves are much stronger, and their flavor is a bit medicinal, to the point where they can be unpleasant. California bay leaves are not usually sold commercially, though. You can get culinary bay trees from nurseries in California, though. I’ve got one in the back yard that’s almost twenty feet high. It’s easy to tell the difference. California ‘bay’ has much narrower leaves. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/19 "2024-11-27T23:18:16Z")
All the bay leaf packets requested via PMs have gone out, and there are still plenty of leaves left. Sadly, I couldn’t send any internationally. I sorted through all the leaves pretty carefully, but I didn’t wash them. Hopefully they start showing up later this week. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-bay-leaf-harvest-anyone-want-some/1010742/20 "2025-05-29T18:19:20Z")
I received bay leaves from @needscoffee last year and they were fantastic, incredibly enhancing soups, stews, and plenty of other dishes too until I ran out earlier in the year. Dried bay leaf is nothing in comparison to this stuff. I knew I’d want them available all the time and today I finally obtained a _lauris nobilis_ plant of my own. Up to now local nurseries had none and online sources offered tiny plants. My experiences with mail order plants have been dismal, and the local place said whenever they’ve had them they were only 6"-9" tall and slow growing. Today though, I ventured away from my tiny island state to visit the vast continent of Massachusetts where I passed by a large nursery and they turned out to have bay laurel bushes about 15" tall with multiple trunks and leaves growing out of branches in every direction. I purchased one with 60-70 full size leaves on it already and new growth at the end of each branch. I’ll get this into a large pot outside for the summer and keep it indoors over winter. Don’t know how many new leaves grow each year so I’ll have to avoid picking it clean. Or just go get another one. I won’t have any trunks large enough to use for wood but bay laurel is supposed to provide very flavorful smoke for barbecuing. @don_t_ask mentions above using the wood for skewers also.