I have always wanted to have a laurel hedge in my house. It is a plant that has been used in all its facets for centuries, especially in the culinary field , because it goes very well with various dishes, from main courses to sauces. Its aromatic nature creates strong aromas and flavours, without however distorting them.
Over time I started using laurel as a natural remedy for my home and now I can no longer do without it. This is why today I want to tell you why a bunch of laurel should never be missing from your pantry!
You can use it as a beneficial remedy
Although bay leaves are used in the kitchen to uniquely flavor your dishes, having a bunch at home can help you on many occasions.
For example, our grandmothers used to prepare bay leaf decoction to relieve a variety of gastrointestinal disorders or flu symptoms. But even after a more thoughtful lunch or dinner, combined with the peels of an untreated lemon, it is possible to quickly prepare the famous canary herbal tea , a real cure-all that naturally aids digestion.
You will have a remedy with a thousand properties at almost zero cost
If you have a hedge or even a laurel plant at home, you will have an all-round remedy at practically no cost . Its versatility will lend itself well to many needs in the home, and I will explain how I use it every day!
I put it in all the kitchen cabinets
I really mean it! The essential oils contained in bay leaves keep away many annoying insects which generally invade our kitchen at different times of the year.
The most feared are the flour butterflies . This is why I always keep (even in the winter months) fresh bay leaves in all the compartments of the pantry , changing them when they become too dry. This practice is truly a “preventive measure” that allows us to avoid having invasions of unpleasant insects in the pasta and flour.
In more particular cases, you can also keep the bay leaves inside the flour itself , taking care to inspect carefully and store these foods in glass containers, to avoid contamination.
Furthermore, I also place it in furniture where there is no food, because this gives it “complete protection” even from ants or silverfish which, although harmless, are not pleasant to find when opening a piece of furniture!
It helps me absorb bad odors
Have you ever tried boiling bay leaves after cooking ? Whether you are preparing your digestive herbal tea or not, a handful of bay leaves boiled in a saucepan will help you absorb all the bad smells from the kitchen :
I prefer to use only bay leaves in the saucepan, but when I want to give my kitchen a different scent (depending on my preferences) I combine it with cloves, mandarin peel or cinnamon powder .
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However, if I feel that my vacuum cleaner gives off a bit of a bad smell (this has happened to me a few times), I put 3 chopped bay leaves in the bag and that solved the problem, also leaving a pleasant fragrance as I passed it.
Helps protect clothes in the closet
We have seen how laurel is a natural repellent against insects of all kinds and moths cannot be missing from this appeal . Our sweaters know this very well..
But I don’t use bay leaves alone. Very often, when I’m running out of bars of hand soap, I let them dry, then cut them into small pieces with the help of a knife. I break the bay leaves with my hands , mix them together a little and put everything in a perforated bag. In this video I show you the process:
In this way I not only obtain a good DIY laundry scent , but also a remedy to prevent clothes from being punctured by moths.
Each of us uses laurel for different purposes, but one thing is certain: it cannot be missing from our home, all year round!