How to dry fresh bay leaves

I have some fresh bay leaves from my Dad’s garden.

I have been using them in soups and casseroles in the fresh form.

I prefer them fresh, but dried some of them so that they are not wasted and so I have some in the coming months when I need them.

This is how I dried the bay leaves….

First I picked off the leaves that were in good condition.

I washed and thoroughly dried each individual leaf.

I laid each leaf on a baking tray and put in an oven (66 degrees Celsius /150 degrees Fahrenheit) for 40 mins.

The leaves will curl a little and become brittle.

I removed them from the oven.

When they were completely cooled, I remove them from the tray and stored in an airtight glass container.

I think that I will have enough leaves for the next 6 months of cooking.

The morning coffee and reducing waste

The morning coffee…

I love my morning coffee when I head out for my morning school drop off. However, I was concerned that the amount of takeaway coffee containers and lids that my daily morning coffee was generating.

So I looked for a solution.

I purchased this stainless steel cup with a lid ( to keep my coffee nice and warm). It has a little sip hole in the top, so that I can sip from it without needing to take the lid off ( just like a takeaway coffee) It cost $5 from Kmart and it was a one-off purchase. Being stainless steel, it should last me forever!

I make my coffee at home with my coffee machine, and then take it with me in the car for school drop off.

I have also purchased one for my husband so that he can take with him on his way to work.