I want some!
Come on down, Connie. I have a nice, big ham bone in the freezer just waiting to hunker down in a big pot of split pea soup. Can't beat a meal of that and a loaf of N.Y. Times Bread. Pure heaven.
I want some!
A guaranteed way to deal with any larva in the flour you buy is to freeze the bag of flour for 3 days then take it out of the freezer. This freezing kills off any bug eggs in the flour.
I didn't know you could use them for anything other than putting them in flour to discourage weevils!
No, they don't affect the taste of the flour at all. Of course, after reading this thread, I'm wondering now if they do anything at all!Do they make the flour taste funny? My aunt used to put a vanilla bean in her sugar canister to make it take on the vanilla flavor; I was wondering if the same thing happens with bay leaves in flour.
expat, you spend way too much time watching those little critters. I have an image in my head of you with a magnifying glass and a note pad writing furiously as the little critters, "feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults. Then serious love connections begin".
Many moths, weevils, and beetles do eventually leave the love nest and fly to other places in your pantry. THAT'S where your bay leaves can help. They are repelled by bay leaves and rarely will you find NEW eggs being laid in products that have them. I put a bay leaf in every bag of flour, rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, etc., that I open. When you buy these products at a grocery, as has already been suggested, freeze them first to kill any eggs that have already been laid before you bought the item. Otherwise you are going to start a vicious cycle. YOu can also tape the bay leaves in and around your cupboards to discourage those seeking new homes to populate.