Grow It Yourself Ireland - GIY Editor's article - January's Herb of the Month

January's Herb of the Month - Bay

Published on 20.1.2010, 10:26 AM Last Update: 7 month(s) ago by GIY Editor

Category: All Articles » Experienced GIY'ers Articles » Denise Dunne on Herbs

Each month Denise Dunne will be contributing an article focusing on a particular herb. This month she looks in detail at Bay.

Denise Dunne runs The Herb Garden, a Certified Organic plant and seed nursery in Naul, Co. Dublin. For more detailed information on all herb related topics, visit her website at www.theherbgarden.ie. Photo credits: Denise Dunne

BAY

Laurus nobilis

HISTORY AND LORE

Bay, also known as Sweet Bay and Bay Laurel, has a long history, dating back to ancient Greek mythology. It was sacred to Apollo and the origin of the laurel wreath is attributed to him. The Latin 'laurus nobilis', roughly translated means victory, triumph, success, renowned and noble. The laurel wreath was awarded to the ancient Olympic athletes, musicians and poets. The modern day Poet Laureate derives from this practise. Emperors and nobles of the Roman Empire also wore the laurel wreath as a sign of their superiority. Bay Laurel also supposedly afforded protection against disease and witchcraft.

VARIETIES

Sweet bay laurus nobilis is the most common variety. There is also a gold leaved variety laurus nobilis 'Aurea' and a willow leaved variety laurus nobilis 'Angustifolia'.

CULTIVATION

Situation
Bay is a long-lived evergreen tree, native to Southern Europe. It is frost hardy but prefers a sunny or semi-shaded, sheltered position and rich but well-drained soil. It is a perfect specimen plant for the centre of an herb garden.

Propagation
Semi-ripe cuttings can be taken in late summer but they are quite difficult to root. Often the tree will throw up suckers around its base and these are easier to propagate. Remove them in late summer, trying not to disturb any roots that have formed. Pot them up into a well-drained compost mix and place them in a sheltered position out of direct sunlight.

Plant Care
Trim to shape in late spring or early summer and remove any suckers. Bay can be susceptible to attack by scale insects that stick to the underside of the leaf and cause a black sooty deposit on the surface. They can be removed by hand or sprayed with 'Savona' plant soap - available from Fruithill Farm - www.fruithillfarm.com.

Container Growing
Bay is one of the most popular ornamental container grown herbs and can be trained into many decorative topiary shapes. Container grown plants should be potted on into a slightly larger pot each spring, using a rich, well-draining organic based compost. Keep the plants well watered in warm, dry weather. Generally there is no need to water in winter.

HARVESTING AND PRESERVING
Try to combine harvesting with pruning. If you only want a leaf or two, cut the growing tip of a shoot just above a leaf joint. If you want a few stems, have a good look at the shape of your bay before you cut and remove any straggly looking stems.
As bay is an evergreen, there is no great need to preserve the leaves. However if you are training a topiary specimen and don't want to throw the cuttings on the compost heap, you can dry or freeze the leaves, or use some of them to make flavoured oil or vinegar.

CULINARY USES
Bay leaves are tough and are generally used to flavour food and then removed before serving. They are ideal for foods that require long, slow cooking such as stocks, soups, stews and casseroles, and they are often used to flavour marinades.

Bay is probably most commonly used in a bouquet garni, where it is tied in a bunch with parsley and thyme, added at the start of cooking and removed at the end. Other herbs can be included in the bouquet garni, usually the tougher ones like rosemary, sage and savory.

The leaves are also used quite a bit in Indian cookery, where they are fried in hot oil along with other spices to create a seasoned oil, Baghaar. This is used to flavour lentils, rice, vegetables and meat dishes. Bay has many other uses. Here are a few more ideas.

Infuse in milk to flavour white or béchamel sauce.
Add to fish pies or fish parcels that are cooked in foil.
Put a few leaves in a roasting tin under your joint of meat or place a few inside the cavity of a chicken along with a quartered lemon.
Add two or three leaves when cooking bacon, ham or corned beef.
Use to flavour terrines and pates.
Add a leaf or two to savoury rice before cooking. It can also be added to sweet rice and custards.

RECIPE

Slow Roast Shoulder of Pork with Onions and Bay Leaves
Roughly chop two or three onions and place in a roasting tin. Score and salt your joint of pork (make sure the skin is really dry) and place it on top of the onions. Add a small amount of water to the tin. Start off in a hot oven 200 deg C for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter 10 or 12 bay leaves around the joint. Reduce the heat to 160 deg C and cook for roughly three hours (for a 2kg joint). Add small amounts of water to the pan when necessary to prevent the onions from burning. They will still become quite dark and caramelised. When the meat is almost cooked turn up the heat to 210 deg C to crisp the crackling. Remove the joint to a warm tray, cover with foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
Onion Gravy
Remove the bay leaves from the tin. Add about a desert spoon of flour and stir well until there are no lumps. Then gradually add some meat or vegetable stock, stirring constantly over a low heat until the gravy thickens. You can omit the flour if you prefer a lighter gravy.
Variations
This basic recipe can also be used for beef or lamb. Bay can be replaced with rosemary, sage, thyme or savory.
Notes
Temperatures are based on a fan oven. They may need to be slightly higher for convection oven. Cooking times can be increased or reduced, depending on the size of the joint.

MEDICINAL USES

Bay was traditionally used to fight the plague and it was renowned as an antiseptic. There must be some truth in this because bay contains about 45% eucalyptol, which has proven anti-bacterial properties. An infusion added to the bath is said to help with aches and pains, and a decoction used to rinse hair is a traditional cure for dandruff. I haven't tried either of these myself, but if they don't cure they certainly won't do any harm.

NUTRITIONAL VALUES

Bay stimulates the appetite and is good for digestion. When used in cooking it assists the absorption and breakdown of heavy foods, especially meat.

HOUSEHOLD USES

Used to deter household pests, especially the smaller kind – mites and weevils and the things that make your skin crawl just thinking about them. Add a leaf or two to your rice, bean, lentil and flour containers to prevent weevils.