Simply Organic, Bay Leaf (4g)

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There's nothing in this bottle but pure, organic, Premium Hand Select Grade true bay laurel leaves (Laurus nobilis). No GMOs. No ETO (considered carcinogenic by the EPA). Not irradiated. Certified Organic by QAI. Kosher Certified by KSA. Sweet, earthy aroma. Savory, balsamic, good-bitter flavor. This is the true bay experience. You may not know it when you taste it, but you know when it’s missing. That stew or seafood dish just seem to need something? This is it.

Simply Organic's bay leaves are Premium Hand Select Grade. This means that after mechanical sorting, two rounds of hand selection are done to ensure that these leaves are the best of the best. Only about 1% of all bay leaves meet the criteria for this grade. And get this. Most of the bay sold in the United States during peak season is from the previous fall’s harvest. Simply Organic sources bay leaves mainly from the northern coast of Turkey, where the harvest occurs in February and March. The leaves are then dried and shipped in time to be packaged for the current holiday season — providing the fresh, robust flavour of recently harvested bay. Real bay. Real quality. Real flavour.

Let’s get real about bay leaves. Laurus nobilis is the only botanical the FDA recognizes as bay and approves for consumption as a spice. An inferior herb — Umbellularia californica, also known as “California bay” — is sometimes sold as bay. It’s longer, darker leaves make it seem more appealing than true bay, but “California bay” has a harsher, more camphor-like flavor. And, one of its key constituents, umbellulone, can induce headaches. That’s just not cool. Simply Organic authenticates every shipment of their bay to make sure you’re getting real Laurus nobilis, the only bay suitable for culinary use.

Relationships matter. People matter. In Turkey, laurel leaf collection is traditionally a side-source of income for families. But younger people are leaving the area for more lucrative city jobs. Simply Organic and their sustainable sourcing partner Kutas are working with a collector cooperative that is adding value for its members by drying and processing laurel leaves themselves. Simply Organic is installing clean, energy efficient dryers and providing training on proper forest management. The new dryers will increase the co-op’s capacity, creating more appealing job opportunities and reducing respiratory risk for workers.