Bay Leaf Tree - Don't tell me it's POISONOUS?!

[Julles]

I have a bay tree, about one whole foot tall now.  It has leaves all along the stalk.

I'd like to use the leaves to cook with, but I'm afraid to start picking them, because there are only so many, and I don't want to denude my baby tree.

If I pick a leaf, will a new one grow at the same place?  Or do new leaves only come from new growth at the top, as the tree grows?

Thanks

[Jerry]

I have a very mature Laurel. I use the leaves that fall off.  You can pick a few, but how many do you need?
I can send you all you want.

[Joyce]

You want it to grow bigger, repot it.
Then it will leaf out more, grow, branch out and you'll have more leaves.

I repot mine every year.
It won't do well in the same pot forever.
Especially the little pot it came in. 

By the way, it's a tree, not a shrub and not a plant.

If allowed, it will grow into a tree.
You can keep it pruned to any size you want. 

[Jerry]

Why not in the ground?  Is it a mild climate tree?  I will post a photo of mine shortly. I bought in a 2" pot!
I am sure everyone knows NOT to eat the leaves.

[Jerry]

My Bay tree. at least 20 years old. it was in a 2 inch platic pot.

[Joyce]

Yes, it is only hardy to zone 8.
When I lived in NC, had it outdoors for a few years then a colder winter killed it. 

[Sonny]

I had mine for almost 30 years when I lost it to Ike last year.  Got it in NJ as a small pencil-sized sapling.  After moving to Houston it really took off and started doing the banyan thing.  As you can see it was kind of tipping over anyway.  I was really sad to lose it though. 

[Julles]

No, no, no!!   I bought it to use the leaves for cooking! ... Jerry, are you saying it's poisonous??  I am sure it was in the herb section of the nursery.  Joyce, can there be two varieties?   I do remember picking and tasting a leaf from a bay tree in a yard on the Sugarland Garden Tour last year.

Anyway, it came in a 3" pot, and I have it in a 10" clay pot.  My yard is teeny, and the pond takes up the whole thing, so the bay tree will have to stay on the deck.  Was told it's a slow grower.

[Jerry]

We use it all the time.  My wife always warns me about NOT eating the leaves lest a few get in the  stew.  I assume she is right.
Joyce??

[rdrboone]

Bay leaves are not poisonous, but they can be a choking hazard, if eaten. 

Ruth

[Joyce]

Not poisonous, there was no need for the hysteria. 

Why would you cook the leaves in food if it was poisonous?

The only reason you would not eat them, is alone they are a bit bitter, and of course a slight choking hazard.

[Jerry]

she always cautioned me if leaves had not been fished out.
So I always wondered. hey Rhubarb can be toxic if you eat the leaves.  I am sure other edible plants have some caveats

[Sean]

Generally on a small sapling, if you remove a leaf, you encourage the latent bud start to grow and to form a new branch. This is good if you want to force new branching and bushiness.

As for fishing out the bay leaf at the end of cooking, I always have some cheese cloth and butchers twine on hand that I use to make an herb pouch that is easily found and removed at the end of cooking. Leave an extra few inches of twine so you can hang it out of the pot like a tea bag for easy removal. I remember chewing on a piece of Bay leaf all the time when my mother made stew because the leaf would invariably break apart in the cooking process and end up on a few plates.

Cheers,
Sean

[Jerry]

My wife says she never said they were, "I said, she said, i"s they are a choking hazard."
Darn, wrong again!

[Mikey]

Mine is in a fair size pot.  The plant can take a lot of neglect....something I seem to specialize in....  I prefer using the fresh green leaves for cooking.  I don't bother removing them from stews and such.  Finders keepers....

[miguynmkoi]

I finally got a bay leaf tree, small one, when I visited Mikey's garden last year (thanks Michael!).  Now I have fresh bay leaf whenever I need it.  Looked great under the skin of my family favorite, turkey rolls.  And we eat the leaves in the rolls, some may pick them out too.

[Julles]

Oh, Jerry, I finally got it - You meant, don't eat the leaves after they're in the pot of food!  In other words, yes, you're supposed to use them in cooking, just try not to eat one because they're woody.  Flavorful, but woody.   

Think I'll take a leaf here and there when needed for cooking, and hope Sean is right and the tree will start branching out.  Right now it looks like a pencil with leaves.

[Jerry]

Hi is right, it will!

[Joyce]

Don't forget to repot. 
If it's been in that pot for a year, it needs repotting.
The plant has used up all the nutrient in the soil, won't grow any more.
New soil will give it the nutrition to grow.
Add some Osmocote, and you'll get even more growth.