Harvest laurel from your own cultivation correctly

Harvest laurel from your own cultivation correctly

The right time to harvest bay leaves

If you use cuttings or seeds to propagate bay leaves for your own needs, you should not harvest any leaves from the newly planted bay bushes in the first year if possible. First allow the young plants to develop freely with a balanced supply of nutrients, then you can expect good yields for drying in the second year of standing. You will achieve the best aroma and good drying results if you cut individual leaves or whole bunches of branches in spring or autumn.

also read

  • Drying laurel - procedure and advantages
  • Recognize diseases by the laurel and treat them correctly
  • Are leaves or other parts of the laurel poisonous or not?

Harvest and store the laurel properly

In mild locations, it is also possible in Central Europe to overwinter the real laurel (Laurus nobilis) outdoors. However, electric hedge trimmers (€ 135.56 at Amazon *) should not be used when cutting entire laurel hedges, as cut bay leaves turn unsightly brown on the plants and pose a risk of disease. The leaves of the laurel are usually plucked by hand or cut as branches and bundled into bunches and hung upside down to dry. If the bay leaves are sufficiently dry after about one to two weeks in a well-ventilated place, they can be filled into a spice jar as whole leaves. If stored appropriately, they will retain their full aroma for about one to two years.

The use of laurel in the kitchen

The use of laurel as a spice and medicinal plant has a tradition that goes back to antiquity. Today many recipes are refined with bay leaves:

  • Soup broth
  • Game dishes
  • Pasta sauces
  • Kebab skewers
  • Lamb
  • Beef casserole

In many recipes, the bay leaves for the transition of the aroma are only added during the cooking process and then removed before consumption.

Tips & Tricks

You can also use bay leaves directly fresh, but you have to be far more careful with the dosage than when using dried bay leaves.