January | Do not forget to water once a month |
February | Do not forget to water once a month |
March | Start watering more frequently |
April | Start watering more frequently |
May | Place bay tree outdoors, Summer care, fertilize |
June | Any pruning should be done before Midsummer’s Day (21 June) |
July | Fertilize |
August | |
September | If your bay tree is to be re-potted, do so now |
October | |
November | Bring bay tree indoors, Winter care |
December | Prune |
Archives for June 2014
Neither witch nor devil, thunder nor lightning will hurt a man where a Bay Tree is
Nicolas Culpepper
Iced Oranges
Ingredients
- Serves 8
- 5oz/150g granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4fl oz/120ml water
- 14 oranges
- 8 fresh bay leaves to decorate (or mint if this is more readily available)
Preparation
- Put the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan. Add half the lemon juice, then add the water. Cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to boil and boil for 2-3 minutes until the syrup is clear.
- Slice the tops off eight of the oranges to make “hats”. Scoop out the flesh of the oranges and reserve. Freeze the empty orange shells and “hats” until needed.
- Grate the rind of the remaining oranges and add to the syrup. Squeeze the orange juice from the oranges, and from the reserved flesh. There should be 1¼pints/750ml. Squeeze another orange or add bought orange juice, if necessary.
- Stir the orange juice and remaining lemon juice, with 6 tablespoons/90ml of water into the syrup. Taste, adding more lemon juice or sugar as desired. Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer container and freeze for 3 hours.
- Turn the orange sorbet mixture into a bowl and whisk thoroughly to break up ice crystals. Freeze for 4 hours more, until firm, but not solid.
- Pack the mixture into the hollowed-out orange shells, mounding it up, and set the “hats” on top. Freeze until ready to serve. Just before serving, push a skewer into the tops of the “hats” and push in a bay leaf (mint) to decorate.
Enjoy!
Recipe taken from “The Fat-Free Cook Book”
Summer Care Laurus nobilis
- After the middle of May there is little risk in putting the Bay outside.
- The plant can be put in full sun, but it flourishes in shade as wel.
- The bay should be watered regularly during the summer (daily when placed in full sun). Please note that the bay does not remain with its feet in the water.
- During the summer, your Bay will show when it is thirsty; the young shoots will ‘curl’. If you water the plant, everything will be back to normal within a few hours.