The page below is from The Calendar of Garden Lore by Julia Jones
The Romans brought the Sweet Bay......Laurus Nobilis........Noble Laurel to Britain. Leaves from the Bay had traditionally been made into wreaths and given to successful warriors and worn as a symbol of high achievement. The Romans had borrowed this idea from the ancient Greeks who awarded their poets and artists with a similar wreath.
The Romans called the Bay 'the plant of the good angels' and it was thought to give protection against lightening, storms, witchcraft, snakebite and disease and a Bay tree planted by the house door would keep away the plague. Shepherds would always wear a sprig of Bay in their hats in case of being caught out on the open meadows during a thunderstorm.
It was used as a decoration for the Roman feast of Saturnalia and brought into the house at Christmas when Christianity arrived along with holly, ivy and mistletoe.
I kept one of the seedlings to take when we left the smallholding and it stayed in a pot for the year in Ipswich. When we got here I planted it on the edge of a ditch in a spot where it wouldn't matter how big it got and actually the bigger the better to keep some of the wind off the house. Because of last years dry summer it's taken a while to get going but it's nearly as tall as me now.
Which means it will be too big to move whenever I decide this place is too remote and too big. And that's why I picked up a small Bay at a boot sale a few weeks ago.
I don't get to use it as much as in the past but I still wouldn't want to be without one in the garden somewhere.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I liked the story of the shepherds having a sprig of bay in there hats. My son brought me a tree a few years ago and I keep it in the plot. I brought a Flock and an Astrania yesterday in our local market a lovely size so I hope to get a few cuttings from them. Looks like a nice day here and I am of to Knit and Knatter we are making a double blanket to raffle for Breast Cancer in October.
ReplyDeleteHazel c uk
I cut our bay every year. All it’s lower leaves and new ground sprigs are removed, up to about 3’. Last year it it was shaped into a lollipop, this year a square. More manageable that way.
ReplyDeleteThat's what we should have done all those years ago at the smallholding, although back then I had no idea that it would get so BIG
DeleteI like the look of bay trees, but don't much like the taste, so have never bothered growing one. Having said that, we did have a big one in the garden of a house we used to live in years ago, it was already big by the time we moved there.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the thought of having a Bay in a pot, but haven't used Bay leaves too much in cooking. Can I ask, Sue, what you use yours in? It looks really nice in that pot by the way :)
ReplyDeleteI used to use it a lot for flavouring whenever I cooked anything like mince for a lasagne or bolog sauce and also in Bread sauce to go with roast chicken.
DeleteNow I'm on my own I don't cook much meat so don't often get to use it, but just like to have it around to protect against witches!!!
I love bay leaves, though I'm not certain I can taste it, just habit to throw in in tomato sauce. Your post makes me want a tree, I will have to look into it's hardiness.
ReplyDeleteOne of my books has a recipe for bay sugar.
ReplyDeleteArilx
I have a massive bay tree planted in a plastic half beer barrel but the roots have gone through and into the ground. It will be left here when I move as I will only have a patio and small area around it. Maybe I will take a cutting.
ReplyDeleteWow I am jealous, I would love a bay tree of any size sadly it is just too cold in the winter where I live for them to survive.
ReplyDeleteI have always used bay leaves to cook with potatoes, especially chicken soup, turkey soup - anything that has cut up potatoes in it. It gives the soup such a nice flavor!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if bay would grow on the Canadian prairies. It seems like a very interesting herb and one I actually use quite often.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I have four bay trees which I keep well pruned as they are hooligans but I have found prunings in the compost which have rooted themselves and I think all my neighbours know that if they need bay leaves I will always have plenty to share.
ReplyDelete