Adding a few bay leaves to flour can be very helpful. If you’ve never tried it, here’s why you should. It may seem strange to you to add bay leaves to flour. But once you discover the benefits, you won’t be able to do without it.
What are the main properties of bay leaf?
Laurel is an aromatic plant that is considered legendary, since it was often used to adorn the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. Think of the laurel wreaths, of which in fact we have very ancient evidence, which were placed on the heads of poets and philosophers. Therefore, a symbol of wisdom, so much so that even today a laurel wreath is placed on the head of new graduates. Despite the many purely aesthetic uses, its essential beneficial properties were known many years ago.
Widely used in cooking. The leaves are most often used for cooking, seasoning soups, stews or roasts, but also for making herbal teas and decoctions. However, in the herbal and medicinal field, it is used in the form of essential oils extracted from the same leaves. Its digestive and anti-inflammatory properties are well known, but what few people may know is that laurel is an excellent natural repellent against unwanted insects. This could certainly be a plus for this evergreen plant, so much so that we use it more often at home than in the kitchen.
How and why to use bay leaves in the pantry
In this case, it is precisely the repellent properties of laurel that help us, because its very aromatic leaves keep away both the butterflies that nest in pasta and cereals, and the other small parasites that are often found in food storage, from the kitchen and the pantry. It is possible to use bay leaves both in the flour itself and directly in the pantry, the result is more than guaranteed in both cases. However, it is very important to remember to change the leaves when the smell subsides.
For it to act as a repellent, the leaves must be fresh and strongly scented to disturb the insects. In addition, it goes without saying that you need to clean your storage closet regularly to prevent small insects from settling between the shelves. To best accomplish this, you need to take out everything that is in the pantry, carefully check the shelves and cabinets, clean them thoroughly, and then carefully check the packages of flour, pasta, cookies, legumes, and cereal. Also pay close attention to the corners of cartons, such as those for tea and herbal teas.
Flour is one of the favorite foods of butterflies and small insects, which find it an extremely inviting nesting place. It is therefore advisable to seal the packages as tightly as possible and store them in hermetically sealed containers.
