Its been about 6-8 weeks of drying. Aging and curing tobacco helps the leaves get rid of their herby flavor and makes them taste more desirable. Im experiencing some small security troubles with my latest weblog and Id like to locate something more safeguarded. I threw a hand at it but it didnt come out the way I hoped. You can store the leaves in a humidor or even in a plastic bag. Some people even use a microwave for a brief zap, but I've never tried it so I can't advise. Ive a venture that I am just now running on, and Ive been on the look out for such information. These are the same plants as in the previous photo, eleven days later (25Jan09). The ultra dry leaves sucked up the alcohol (not too much or u get a soggy mess) and became pliable again. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on March 06, 2015: I chucked some seeds in the fridge last year; planted them in portable greenhouse in september and have a bumper crop drying in my garage now. All I can think of is fire hazard!! Answer: Yes, but as it has a root ball the size of a football, you'll need a large tub. The wide mouth makes it easy to get your buds in and out of the jar without making a mess, and it has an airtight lid that will keep your buds from losing moisture during curing. Tobacco starts from shockingly tiny seeds and grows a million fold into a 6-7 foot monster in just about 5 months. Answer: Most of my friends who grow tobacco just dry it before smoking it, so no, don't bother. Put them loosely into the jar, you want some air . I didn't realize you had all these messages! The hothouse on our section looks like a great starting place for our seedling to get a start. Also I wanted to add that the post is great and very easy to follow ..I am in Aus and have been growing now for a while and am getting some extremely good results but I am still waiting to have my first taste..I think the hardest part for me is going to be the cutting as I like a very fine cut and if anyone can suggest something that is not to expensive I will be very happy, anyway thanks for reading and hope to hear from some of you out there even in Qld..Cheers. Also worked very well last year on fully dried tobacco. I dip the lid in the boiling water, and making sure the rim of the jar is free of tobacco pieces, place the lid on the jar and lightly set the ring. Been reading your posts looking to find ways to make what i grow less harsh to smoke. You will also have healthier, more mature/thicker leaves that will respond better to air curing and fermentationa little more meat to chew so-to-speak. Question: Do you think putting a few dried mint leaves in with my tobacco leaves will give it a menthol taste? The results were unbelievable, menthol is one the hardest flavours to crack, no more menthol crysrals and chemistry sets, the e-juice is mostly vegetable glycerine, with no nicotine, and can be added to suit the strength desirable, you can add it to your own liking, strong, medium, weak, doing it this way means the menthol strength hasn't already been decided for you and you don't have to hunt around for a commercial brand to suit your particular tastes. on Introduction. Answer: It's fine with light frosts. Reckon next year I will have to double my crop, I may be a bit shy this year. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on July 30, 2014: Drying- Three months will do it, less if you give a bit of a boost with a slightly warm oven. This has several advantages: If you want to enhance the flavour of your smoke, dissolve a little honey in a couple teaspoons of alcohol (port, rum, vodka, or moonshine) and dribble it in as you cut your leaf. Great read. Maybe I'm ruining it. proberly down to the paper.. the best way i found was hung up in a garrage. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Cut a thin slit through the center of the stem on each leaf using a utility knife. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. I suggest that you let only one of your plants go to flower for seeds for next season's crop. Question: Can I make alcohol from tobacco leaves? Answer: I'm sorry but I can't really help you as there are too many unknowns. I am going to scour around and see if I can find some seeds. Adrian Rankin-Maclean on August 10, 2020: Very informative article I tried many years ago to grow tobacco, plants grew fine but mucked up the curing process, I want to flavour the stuff for pipe smoking, I have a very large jar of glycerine in the garage could I use that with port and brandy, spray the leaf, let dry, then press and mature but for how long - best guess for a guide pls, also I want to give some hand rolling tobacco to my colleagues at Christmas, I'm harvesting and curing now,(August) once dried I'm putting it in a plastic air tight box, will that be long enough time for it to mellow/mature. Canadian Virginian plant, so I've not looked back. It has been most helpful. Question: My tobacco leaves have been hanging for around 3 months, the tips seem to keep going brittle so I have misted them with water as they have become brittle again, is this method ok? I can't suggest anything other than perhaps swapping it amongst your mates for something with less Kick. meter for the next hour or so. I started about 400 tobacco seeds, about 85% germination rate. Keep in a cool, dry place out of direct light. Mary Wickison from USA on March 23, 2014: After years of nagging (I mean politely requesting) my husband to stop, now I find your page. If youve moistened brittle leaves for storage, be sure to pat them down with a paper towel so there arent any water droplets on them. How broad it can be. Not to mention the moaning at the forever price hikes in Tobacco. 12.5% cure for between 3 weeks and 11 weeks. Do I have to ferment the leaves at all? This process is all done quickly. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on December 23, 2014: Hi John, I hope that all's well with you now. Answer: That's a question that I haven't had before! I've been drawing from T.A. Ricci Feat Waaka from Tauranga, New Zealand on June 07, 2014: Hi can you please give me some advice on how to grow tobacco under lights,such as how many plants to a 1000 watt or 600 grow light in what size room,am really keen to give it a go. I'm attempting to grow 3 varieties of tobacco: a Tennessee dark air cure, a Samsun Turkish and Perique. How soon before I can smoke them? Time is said to cure all things, and tobacco is near the top of the list. That being said it is taxing to spray the leaves so often. In the cooler situation, I am fighting to keep things moist enoughin your case it looked like it was the opposite effect! I got leaves as big as my face but im sure they could have been better. Yes I agree that there was too much moisture. Some say that it should be left hanging for two years, though I've found that two or three months is quite enough. 3 years ago. The plants grew taller than corn stalks, with leaves as broad as my chest. Air curing works by hanging the leaves in a dark place for a few weeks. As you said, I leave the "Best/Biggest" plant to flower and take the seeds from it for the next season- tho of course you only need one seed pod to get 1000's of tiny seeds for next year's crop. Fill your curing jars 75% full. You don't have to fork out another $2.50 for seed. Multiply it by 52 to find what it costs you a year (over $2,500?). I'll certainly digg it and individually suggest to my friends. Curing is basically the drying of tobacco in a moderately controlled environment. I'd also suggest that you let the plants flower and save the seed, you'll get enough to plant half of Kansas and be very popular with your smoking friends! I don't know where I've been Steve, but just come across you site. Do you ferment leaves for smoking tobacco? This seems a good place to take you by the hand and walk you through some basic arithmetic if you haven't already done so yourself. Btw i subbed you on youtube, Reply This is typically the culprit. Answer: Until the leaves are dry and brown/yellow, after hanging, several weeks or in an oven at low heat an hour or so. The best time of year to dry outdoors is during the harvest season, end of Summer, before the first frost, humidity is typically perfect in most areas of the USA. Hi EveryoneI have just read the post for about the 6th time and decided to join the group and say HI!!! The RH Lids have to be cut to exact specs with a Water Jet ($10k) or the hygrometer won't seal properly. Question: How do you flavor tobacco with honey and alcohol? Good luck growing! So, fermentation, do it if you want to, you may like the flavour better, you may not, I don't think that it matters a damn' for health and safety. I got tired of fighting past the damn things to get to my garden shed and pulled them out last May, still healthy and hardy, with a root system the size of a football. For tobacco, the curing process is similar to the standard drying process of cannabis. Im wanting either a mild hazlenut or chocolate flavor. Answer: I've never bothered fermenting, and nor have any of my friends. The bought stuff has additives to keep it going, such as saltpeter (potassium nitrate, the main ingredient of gunpowder). Also, thank you for this article. Hopefully I get mature plants later. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on April 04, 2014: Thanks for your comments, I use HubPages, as per heading; free to use, just join up. You can make a perfectly acceptable product by drying the leaves adequately, slicing them thinly, rolling them in cigarette paper, and setting them alight, so put that in your pipe and smoke it! This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. The following is a helpful "Q and A" following this project. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on September 21, 2014: Here's some info that i copied and pasted from this hub a couple of years ago. Tobacco is an amazingly prolific plant. Monitor the leaves periodically to make sure they dont turn moldy, and remove any leaves that do. Im growing in ohio, where the difference betwixt winter and summer is almost nonexistent. After they've gotten established, you can water less often. Most people use wide-mouth quart or half-gallon glass mason jars,. Question: How long would tobacco take to grow in a tropical climate like Australia? Your question and reply precedes this answer. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on March 20, 2014: I wrote a month or what back that I had started harvesting and drying down here in North Canty, and being the impatient bugger that I am, have started smoking it now, and am pleasantly surprised with the result. Trying to beat the election and all the false promises. Have you ever tried soaking leaves to flavour them? Hang the tobacco where the humidity is consistently around 65 percent. , and then i can"t smoke because its really strong ! Answer: The best time is November, give or take, but January's fine for a later crop. Make sure the leaves are not touching each other, the walls, or the floor. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Can we buy seeds direct from you? If you dry your tobacco in your home, be sure to mind the temperature and humidity to avoid drying the leaves too quickly. In fact, with a little bit of bartering, you might even make your money back. Answer: Yes, The way I know of is to spray the rum/wine/honey solution or whatever on the dry or near dry leaves with a garden mister. Your stuff sounds pretty swish, have fun smoking it. Also slugs & snails, etc take their share. In any case I will be subscribing for your rss feed and I am hoping you write again very soon! If you get problems then sort them out with humidifiers or what have you. I'll go into why transferring to a jar might be ideal in the next section. We are in your debt, Thanks again. You need to leave some free space for airflow, so err on the side of under versus over-filling the jars. Answer: From seedling to mature plant (in a temperate climate) in about three months if planted in late Spring - early Summer; longer if planted later. It's a bit late now to plant outdoors, but you can probably start your seedlings in the hothouse, or better still in little pots on a warm windowsill (Like in the kitchen) . Take a leaf, strip out the center rib and any large side ribs if it's a big leaf, and repeat this process for several leaves until you have a generous handful. Do tobacco seeds need a period of cold dormancy in order to grow? I've been toying with the idea of growing my own tobacco for a year now and just found your site by looking for how to cure tobacco. . 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