[CH] (Chili) Pepper marinade: Is laurel hardy? etc.
F. Eugene (dunnam@phys.ufl.edu)
Wed, 31 Oct 2001 09:41:06 -0500
Greetings-
Well! I was gonna ignore the comments but truly bad paronomasia
[which of course is the best kind] like the above deserves a few
return swipes.
Re: marinade-- like several CH's have said, experiment! We use a
different combination of chilis and spices almost every time we make
*any* chili dish. If the thought of ingesting finely shredded leaves
turns you off, don't use em.
Re: Bay leaf---I've tried to grow my own bay leaves for several years
without much success. The first thing I learned in trying to get hold
of a 'bay' tree/shrub is that 'bay' is [IMHO] used very sloppily, to
refer sometimes to laurel, magnolia, or myrtle species. As somebody
pointed out last week, it's the laurels whose leaves are commonly
used for seasoning. One that's native to the SE section of the USA
including FL is commonly called 'red bay'[Persea borbonia]. I've
gathered its leaves many times near the Atlantic coast but haven't
spotted one small enough to dig & transplant or found it at
nurseries. The dried leaves are milder than store-bought bay leaves
but have the same flavor.
The original 'bay leaf' [Laurus nobilis] is an import from Europe but
is claimed to be growable over much of the USA. A 2-ft. shrub
[grown in CA, purchased from a local nursery] didn't thrive for us
but about the time it was dying I decided I had chosen a poor
location for it in view of the long drought we've had. I'll try
again when I find another one.
Just to make things more confusing, there are ornamental trees/shrubs
called 'laurels' [e. g., mountain laurel], members of the rose
family, that are quite poisonous.
I'd be interested in hearing from any of you [especially in the
southeast] who have growing bay laurels more than 3 years old.
And by now it must be obvious that I'm not at bay and can't rest on
my laurels..........
Gene
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* F. Eugene (Gene) Dunnam *
* Gator Slide Farm *
* 104 SE 138 Ave. <dunnam@phys.ufl.edu> *
* Micanopy, FL 32667 (352) 466-3538 *
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