Hello everyone.
My name is Derreck, my friends call me Tinsel (long story).
I started dabbling in pipe smoking about 5 years ago, but only got serious about it a couple months ago when I gave up coffin nails. Now, I'm satisfied with just puffing my pipe and have no desire to go back to cigarettes. The pipe is just so much more enjoyable, calming, and satisfying.
In those couple months that I've been a "serious" pipe smoker, I have read many threads here. First I must say "thanks" to you guys for all the great info posted here. It's all very helpful for a new pipe smoker.
I finally decided to start a profile and join the discussion. As a first post, I thought I would add to the conversation in the most unique way that I can, by sharing my knowledge of Kentucky Dark Fired tobacco.
I live a few miles outside the town of Murray in Calloway County Kentucky, way over in the western part of the state. For those of you who have wondered where Ky Dark Fired comes from ... well, it comes from here. The overwhelming majority of KDF is produced here in western Ky, and Calloway County is atop of the production list. Even now, when I step outside my back door the smell of tobacco barns is lingering heavy in the air as the fires are burning in every barn in the county, smoking, coloring and flavoring the tobacco. How wonderful a smell it is. It's a smell I've known all my life, and those of us who live here could never forget it even if we moved far away for many years.
My family operated a small tobacco farm for generations. It was a source of supplemental income to make ends meet every year. About 13 years ago (when I was 16, I am now 29) we left the tobacco business. But the lessons it taught me as a young man shall never be forgotten. The value of a hard days work, the hardships of turning a profit from the earth, and the respect anyone who farms for a living deserves to be given.
In the final year of our tobacco production, we grew 25 acres of Kentucky Dark Fired (referred to us who live here simply as "dark fired"). The farm belonged to my grandfather, but everyone in the family played a role in the production of the crop. As young as age 6, there were jobs to do. As us "young 'uns" grew older, so did our responsibility. By age 13, you were basically a full-fledged field hand sharing a full portion of the work. It's just about the most hard, back breaking, thankless work you can imagine. Long days. Hot summers. Heavy lifting. The smell of the plant permeates your clothes, truck, skin, and your very EXISTENCE. No KDF farmer or field hand can ever deny his occupation. No matter how much showering you do, you carry that smell with you throughout the growing season. Everyone who lives in this part of the world knows that smell, and can recognize it at an instant.
I could sit for the next 3 days writing about my tobacco farm experiences (I have lots of stories), but in an effort to keep this concise I will go a different route.
There is a short film titled "Farming in the Black Patch" that was produced locally and follows a handful of local farmers through a growing season of KDF. These are men I know. Heck, EVERYONE around here knows these men. They are the "bigger" farmers in the area. With several hundred acres each (mostly corn, beans, wheat and hay), but all of them produce 20-40 acres of KDF a year.
Keep in mind that this is not typical of tobacco farmers. I personally know at least 20 different men who own small farms, grow ONLY tobacco (other than their personal vegetable gardens), and produce between 2 and 20 acres a year. So, don't make the mistake of thinking that growing KDF is only for the big commercial farms. There's more of it being grown by small time guys than the big time guys. Men who, like my grandfather did, are trying to supplement a normal full-time job and make ends meet every year. They tend the tobacco before and after their day jobs, and on weekends. Early mornings, late nights, and long weekends are the norm.
If you are interested in where KDF comes from, please take some time to watch the film. Google search for "Farming in the Black Patch"
Or alternatively, click here null
The video is divided into 3 parts and can be watched on Vimeo. The 3 parts together total just under an hour.
Keep in mind that we west Kentuckians talk a little funny, so some of you may have a hard time understanding the language.
If any of you have any questions about the production of KDF, please ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. The film probably covers the basics of KDF production better than I could, but I will be happy to help fill in the blanks.
So when you are enjoying a bowl of a fine blend with a generous portion of KDF, keep in mind that I probably know the man who grew it. Heck, if it's an old enough tin, I may have had a hand in it MYSELF
Ya know, it's funny that despite being surrounded by KDF, I still haven't tried any. The closest decent tobacconist to me doesn't have any in the store. I intend to order some from P&C but haven't gotten around to it. I wonder what it would be like to smoke it straight outta the barn ...
... maybe I'll go ask a local farmer for a couple leaves.
Looking forward to everyone's responses
My name is Derreck, my friends call me Tinsel (long story).
I started dabbling in pipe smoking about 5 years ago, but only got serious about it a couple months ago when I gave up coffin nails. Now, I'm satisfied with just puffing my pipe and have no desire to go back to cigarettes. The pipe is just so much more enjoyable, calming, and satisfying.
In those couple months that I've been a "serious" pipe smoker, I have read many threads here. First I must say "thanks" to you guys for all the great info posted here. It's all very helpful for a new pipe smoker.
I finally decided to start a profile and join the discussion. As a first post, I thought I would add to the conversation in the most unique way that I can, by sharing my knowledge of Kentucky Dark Fired tobacco.
I live a few miles outside the town of Murray in Calloway County Kentucky, way over in the western part of the state. For those of you who have wondered where Ky Dark Fired comes from ... well, it comes from here. The overwhelming majority of KDF is produced here in western Ky, and Calloway County is atop of the production list. Even now, when I step outside my back door the smell of tobacco barns is lingering heavy in the air as the fires are burning in every barn in the county, smoking, coloring and flavoring the tobacco. How wonderful a smell it is. It's a smell I've known all my life, and those of us who live here could never forget it even if we moved far away for many years.
My family operated a small tobacco farm for generations. It was a source of supplemental income to make ends meet every year. About 13 years ago (when I was 16, I am now 29) we left the tobacco business. But the lessons it taught me as a young man shall never be forgotten. The value of a hard days work, the hardships of turning a profit from the earth, and the respect anyone who farms for a living deserves to be given.
In the final year of our tobacco production, we grew 25 acres of Kentucky Dark Fired (referred to us who live here simply as "dark fired"). The farm belonged to my grandfather, but everyone in the family played a role in the production of the crop. As young as age 6, there were jobs to do. As us "young 'uns" grew older, so did our responsibility. By age 13, you were basically a full-fledged field hand sharing a full portion of the work. It's just about the most hard, back breaking, thankless work you can imagine. Long days. Hot summers. Heavy lifting. The smell of the plant permeates your clothes, truck, skin, and your very EXISTENCE. No KDF farmer or field hand can ever deny his occupation. No matter how much showering you do, you carry that smell with you throughout the growing season. Everyone who lives in this part of the world knows that smell, and can recognize it at an instant.
I could sit for the next 3 days writing about my tobacco farm experiences (I have lots of stories), but in an effort to keep this concise I will go a different route.
There is a short film titled "Farming in the Black Patch" that was produced locally and follows a handful of local farmers through a growing season of KDF. These are men I know. Heck, EVERYONE around here knows these men. They are the "bigger" farmers in the area. With several hundred acres each (mostly corn, beans, wheat and hay), but all of them produce 20-40 acres of KDF a year.
Keep in mind that this is not typical of tobacco farmers. I personally know at least 20 different men who own small farms, grow ONLY tobacco (other than their personal vegetable gardens), and produce between 2 and 20 acres a year. So, don't make the mistake of thinking that growing KDF is only for the big commercial farms. There's more of it being grown by small time guys than the big time guys. Men who, like my grandfather did, are trying to supplement a normal full-time job and make ends meet every year. They tend the tobacco before and after their day jobs, and on weekends. Early mornings, late nights, and long weekends are the norm.
If you are interested in where KDF comes from, please take some time to watch the film. Google search for "Farming in the Black Patch"
Or alternatively, click here null
The video is divided into 3 parts and can be watched on Vimeo. The 3 parts together total just under an hour.
Keep in mind that we west Kentuckians talk a little funny, so some of you may have a hard time understanding the language.
If any of you have any questions about the production of KDF, please ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. The film probably covers the basics of KDF production better than I could, but I will be happy to help fill in the blanks.
So when you are enjoying a bowl of a fine blend with a generous portion of KDF, keep in mind that I probably know the man who grew it. Heck, if it's an old enough tin, I may have had a hand in it MYSELF
Ya know, it's funny that despite being surrounded by KDF, I still haven't tried any. The closest decent tobacconist to me doesn't have any in the store. I intend to order some from P&C but haven't gotten around to it. I wonder what it would be like to smoke it straight outta the barn ...
... maybe I'll go ask a local farmer for a couple leaves.
Looking forward to everyone's responses
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