Health and spice benefits off Bay Leaf

Yesterday my gardener Eric cleared the bottom branches of the large Sweet Laurel Bay tree in my front garden. We had a recent spate of house burglaries close by and we decided to eliminated the possible hiding spots in our garden at night, by clearing all low growing branches of trees and bushes.

I’ve searched the Internet to see the benefits of Bay leaves and came across a number of interesting sites. All stated the value of Bay leaf as a culinary spice but also give lists of health benefits of this wonderful leaf as well. Bay leaf contains Vitamin A & C and various minerals and can aid the breakdown of Protein in the diet. It is also used for liver, kidney and stomach ailments too. Did you know that Bay Leaf made into a tea and use in the final rinse will help to clear dandruff?

With one big blue bag full of Bay leaves that will normally end up in the weekly refuse, I’ve decided to wash each leaf (some got a scale infection which I will discard) and string these leaves on a thin thread with spacers of drinking straws cut into pieces in between, to dry the leaves quickly. Dried Bay leaves placed inside containers for various flours, lentils etc. can also prevent insect infestation in your kitchen. Try placing these leaves in linen cupboards too.

With so many health benefits offered by Bay leaves, don’t you think it is time to plant a Bay tree also in your garden today? Think of all the steaming hot bowls of soup, stews, milk puddings etc. All flavoured with some Bay leaves, that you can pick for FREE from your own Bay leaf tree in future if you don’t have one already in the garden! A few Bay trees’ leaves can be harvested and can be used as a source of income as it can be sold to the butchery, corner cafe etc..