Preserving bay leaves all year round is possible and very easy. The laurus nobilis, a wonderful aromatic and medicinal plant, has extraordinary therapeutic properties, along with a wonderful fragrance. In cooking, it can be used to flavor or enhance meat and fish broths, savory dishes; or to prepare desserts, teas, decoctions, and liqueurs. In this article, I will show you how to preserve fresh bay leaves all year round, with a very simple procedure and without needing any special or hard-to-find tools.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 1/2 pound
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients
- to taste Bay Leaves
- 1 tbsp Baking Soda
Preparation
Get one or more paper bags, depending on the amount of fresh leaves to preserve; bread bags or those for storing spices from herbal shops work well.
I prefer paper bags because they are great for long-term storage and absorb moisture.
Detach the leaves from the stems, remove any that are too damaged, and place them in a large basin filled with cold water and baking soda.
Leave them to soak for about an hour. Due to their texture, you can wash and brush them on both sides to remove impurities and any insects without risking damaging them.
Rinse them well, drain, and lay them out, not overlapping, on a large dish towel.
Pat the bay leaves dry with another dry towel and let them air dry for a day and a night. If necessary, change the towel if it becomes too damp; it’s important for perfect preservation that the leaves are completely dry.
The bay leaves are ready to be stored in the bags, which we will seal with a “bag clip” or a tie.
Over time, the green color of the leaves will start to fade and the leaves will become drier, but this will not affect the organoleptic, aromatic, and phytotherapeutic properties of the bay leaves at all.
