What is the connection between Graduation and Bay Leaves ?

Its graduation season , a time when cultures all over the world celebrate academic achievement. So, you ask, What is the connection between the Bay Leave and Graduation? 

It is the Baccalaureate ! 

To better understand the connection, lets look back in history.

Bay leaves, also known as Sweet Laurel, are one of the worlds most commonly used herbs. Its history dates back to the legends of the Greek god Apollo, god of prophecy, healing and poetry. Apollo was madly in love with a nymph named Daphne. She wanted no part of his affections and turned herself into a bay tree to hide from him. When he found out he declared the bay tree sacred and wore a wreath of its leaves on his head in her memory. In this same manner, crowns of Bay Leaves were given to the victors in battle and sporting events in ancient Greece and Rome. Later , Poets received the similar honor as a poets laureate  and Scholars received their honors in a ceremony called the  Baccalaureate.  

Turkish and Greek Bay Leaves are the know best in the world.  Grown wild in the  mountains , the winds blow across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, picking up moisture and dropping it on the growing trees.  By the end of the summer the wind changes direction and comes from the south. Before it reaches the growing regions , the wind passes over several mountain valleys and ridges making it hot and dry, perfect for quickly drying the leaves with a minimum of flavor loss.  Because of the dry conditions, the winds create a high risk of forest fires , which can effect the bay leaf harvest and leave size.

Another form of Bay Leaves can be found occasionally on grocery Store and Culinary Spice and Herb racks. The California Bay Laurel has a bright green waxy coating and is very uniformed in size. They look beautiful, but cooks beware.  If you try to use this leave, be very careful as its strong and astringent flavor can overpower your dish. I would not suggest using more than 1/2 of a leave in any sauce or dish that  you plan to simmer . This leave is best used to garnish a dish. 

My preference is the traditional Mediterranean or European Leave. 

The flavor of Bay Leaves is perfect for adding to roast pork or chicken, pot roast, turkey, or ham, use 2-3 leaves and remove before serving. Bay Leaves are also perfect for spaghetti sauce and chicken soup, use 2 per quart. A great health tip is a surprising fact is that Bay Leaves improve the flavor of salt-free dishes with their rich flavor. 

The more you use Herbs and Spice to prepare you meals , the healthier you become. 

Enjoy! 

The truth about Mexican Vanilla

My wife and I just got back from a very short cruise to the Yucatan peninsula region of Mexico. As we got on and off the Ship , and at every tourist shop and store I was   amazed at the displays of “Pure Vanilla Extract” we saw. Huge pint size bottles of “Pure” vanilla for only $5.99 ..How could that be? 

Well...here is the truth about that vanilla and how it can be priced so cheap......Its not Pure and its not Vanilla ! 

To better understand how this happens , lets first look at how Pure Vanilla is made and how much it cost. Pure vanilla is made by macerating and percolating vanilla bean in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. ( sometimes just water)   In the United States,  in order for a vanilla extract to be called "Pure" , the US Food and Drug Administration requires that the solution contain a minimum of 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon. To be a double strength (double fold) you would have to double the ounces to 26.70 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon , and so on for triple up to 20 fold. 

Lets do the math....Vanilla beans sell on the market for about $45-$65 dollars a pound (16 oz) for about 90 vanilla pods. In fact, vanilla pods are the second most expensive spice behind saffron.  Since 8 pints equal a gallon,  the wholesale cost of just the beans required to make Pure Vanilla would be over $4.69 !  Now add the cost to manufacture, package , distribute, etc, and you can see this is impossible.

So what are they selling? 

First it is important to understand that  Mexico still produces about 2% of the worlds Vanilla Pods , and still manufactures a small amount of Pure Vanilla for sale...but this is very rare and very expensive. Most mexican vanilla produced is sold to large soda companies leaving very little for the retail extract segment. 


Often, the product sold in tourist markets is actually produced using the Tonka bean extract and corn syrup in stead of actual Vanilla beans.  This so-called Mexican "Vanilla" is often contains a toxic substance called coumarin and shouldn't be bought by consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Coumarin is related to warfarin, which is found in some blood thinners. Eating foods with coumarin may be dangerous for people taking blood thinners, because the combination could increase their risk of bleeding. In fact, the FDA does not allow this product to be imported legally into the US , and explains why you can not find it on the grocery store shelfs in America. Mexico does not have a FDA to control this type of labeling abuse. 

While it is tempting to buy Mexican vanilla at tourist spots -- which may smell and taste like real vanilla and is cheaper than the real thing -- it probably is not  real and could actually cause you or someone you know real harm. Even in the best case , it is really just an artificial extract using vanillin and corn syrup , and still is not Pure. 

So here is the bottom line, use common sense. If the price is to good to be true, it probably isn't true.  Just pass on it  and buy one of the wonderful Pure Vanilla's available at your local grocery store.