There are some leaves you’ll want to track into your house as the fall season picks up. Bay leaves are a solid addition to the kitchen—they provide a sweet, slightly bitter, yet pleasant aroma and are often added to savory sauces and soups to provide some complexity and make dishes more interesting.

Dried bay leaves hold their potency extremely well over time, especially compared to most other spices, but holding on to them for too long can dry them out and impart less flavor to a dish. Before cooking, you’ll want to make sure your leaves are still green and pliable, not brittle and brown.

If you need to replenish your stock, grab a bag of Thrive Market Organic Bay Leaves, which are picked from the freshest crops and are super affordable. Keep the bag in your cupboard or store in the freezer to help the leaves last even longer. Your stocks, sauces, and tastebuds will thank you.

Where do bay leaves come from?

Bay leaves come from the laurel tree, an evergreen species native to the eastern Mediterranean region and one of the most famous, if not regal, plants in human history.

Greek mythology holds that as Apollo relentlessly pursued the nymph Daphne, the gods granted her protection from Apollo’s advances by turning her into a bay tree. At the Temple of Delphi, priestesses would eat bay leaves, then foretell the future.

The Greeks would also fashion crowns out of laurel branches and its leaves to be worn by those with the highest status, like champion athletes and other victors. The Romans carried on the tradition of using laurel wreaths to signify victory, most often crowning their kings with them.

Today, bay leaves have taken on a new role as a popular component of cooking. While still sourced from the Mediterranean basin of Turkey, many bay leaves sold in the United States are now grown in the desert regions of California where the laurel tree feeds off the hot, dry summers to produce the maximum amount of essential oils, which provide its abundant fragrance and flavor.

After the glossy, green leaves are hand-picked from the tree, they’re typically dried before being packaged—though you can occasionally find fresh bay leaves for sale.

How bay leaves are used

The subtle but bright taste of bay leaves is best brought out over time, by cooking low and slow. Here are just a few ways it’s commonly used in cooking:

Bay leaves really shine with chicken, either chicken stock or put inside a whole roast chicken with lemon and onion

Tomatoes are a good pair; try the leaves to season caprese salads and marinara pasta sauces

Along with parsley and thyme, bay leaves are a major ingredient in the classic French bouquet garni, which is a tied bundle of herbs used to infuse flavors into a dish

Many Mediterranean cuisines, including those of France, Morocco, and Turkey, use bay leaves prominently in their dishes
Bay leaves are an essential component of most pickling and brining solutions, lending a slightly astringent, tannic taste

Add a bay leaf to rice to improve its flavor

The oils of the leaf are even used in cosmetics, soaps, and detergents

Be careful not to overload a recipe with bay leaves, as too much of the herb can make a dish bitter—just a leaf or two will do the trick. It’s also important to know that typically, bay leaves are removed before serving a meal because they can be abrasive to the digestive system and are best not consumed.

Why choose Thrive Market Organic Bay Leaves

In cooking, few other elements possess the power to enhance, balance, or even salvage a recipe the way spices can. When they are of high quality and used properly, they can take the palate to pleasing and surprising places. Thrive Market Organic Bay Leaves are no different. Each bag is certified organic by the USDA and non-GMO.

The leaves are carefully tracked from the point of origin all the way to our shelves, ensuring quality, cleanliness, and 100 percent organic status. Our stringent quality control standards mean you’re getting the very best spices available—always fresh, always carefully chosen from the current year’s crop, and always gluten-free.

Some benefits of bay leaves

Bay leaves are no small plant; in fact, they are full of vital nutrients and minerals that can have a positive effect on the body—and around the home:

Bursting with B vitamins, bay leaves can provide essential nutrients that support the nervous system and increase energy

Lauric acid, a main component of bay leaves, is known to repels insects—one of the traditional uses of this seasoning has been to keep pests out of clothing, fabric, and food

Parthenolide is another constituent of bay leaves that can possibly reduce inflammation and irritation, even when applied topically

These tender leaves are also chock full of antioxidants, which protect the body’s cells from free radical damage that can lead to chronic inflammation, chronic disease, and even signs of early aging. The phytonutrients in bay leaves have also been studied for how they can improve heart function

Cooking with Thrive Market Organic Bay Leaves

Here are some of our favorite ways to spice up dishes with this aromatic seasoning.

Eggs in Purgatory

Poached eggs in a richly herbal tomato sauce with feta cheese accents makes an exciting meal for breakfast, brunch, or even breakfast for dinner. You’ll need a good supply of spices on hand, including a couple of bay leaves.

Easy One-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This one-pot soup is not only easy, but it provides enough servings to feed a family for a few days. Loaded with nutrition and packed with spice and flavor, this tortilla soup is also full of protein. Bay leaves help add some depth.

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

No need to wait until the holiday for this incredible meal. The star of this dish is the cashew cream gravy, which calls for three potent bay leaves to add extra flavor.

And one more pretty cool idea…

Orange Peel Aromatherapy Candle

Save an orange peel from the compost for this nifty trick. Begin by peeling it with the stem intact (the stem acts as the wick), then place a bay leaf or two in the half-circle rind, pour oil inside, and light like a candle. The scent given off by bay leaves is known to be an herbal remedy for improving mood and easing anxiety.

More about Thrive Market products

At Thrive Market, our mission is to bring you the highest quality organic goods at truly affordable prices. That's why we've gone directly to the source to develop our own line of premium products made from the very best all-natural ingredients at a fraction of their usual price tag. Finally, you don't need to choose between cost and quality, taste and health, value and your values. If it has the Thrive Market seal, you can trust that you're getting the highest quality product possible at the lowest price anywhere. Shop our premium, organic, and fair-trade certified virgin coconut oil, spices, nuts and dried fruits, tomato sauces, ghee, and sprouted grains today!

Thrive Market, Organic Bay Leaves