How To Store Bay Leaves

[callboy]

I have been given some fresh bay leaves and would like to know how to keep them.

[Marshwarble]

On a bay plant?

Possibly you can freeze them if you want to store them. But if you want something fresh you need to leave it in full view.

[janbee]

I dry mine in an airing cupboard then put them in a jar with a lid. They keep for ages and give wonderful flavour to pasta.

[retrocop]

I think with a lot of fresh herbs they are dried first in an oven on grease proof paper. I have frozen curry leaves over a short period but not all herbs will freeze.They turn black and mushy. There is a site that tells you how to dry herbs in the oven.
I have no need I have a massive bay tree in my garden which my mother bought us as a moving in present in 1980. It was a small pot plant then, :-)

[retrocop]

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This is one site of many.You can dry herbs in a microwave apparently as well
http://www.gardenherbs.org/preserving_herbs.htm

[callboy]

thankyou all for your comments,I'm about to use the link you provided retrocop

all the best

[atalanta]

Just put them in a paper bag in the back of your ( completely dry) larder. I have had a bag of bayleaves for years next to my jars of spices. They just sit there - they don't go "off"

[jourdain2]

I just let mine dry. I used to have a 15ft. high bay tree so the question didn't arise. I've just bought an untrimmed bay tree and potted it up so I will always have fresh bay. If you buy a fancy shaped one they are quite expensive; search around and you will find a natural one very, very much cheaper and trim it yourself!