Homegrown Burley

[Ahi Ka]

This is straight homegrown burley from last season. I air cured it and then removed stems before rolling into loose sausages and packed away in jars for 8months (I didn’t have a kiln).

I then added equal weight of water to tobacco to each jar and then placed in slow cooker for a day on low - roughly 190f.

I unrolled leaf to dry. Unfortunately it went out of case, so I had to place it back in a sealed bag with a wet paper towel for a day and this returned it to low-medium case.

I then pressed for 24 hours and it has the consistency of a crumble cake, however since it is made with threshed leaf instead of ribbon it doesn’t crumble as much. I’m not worried as I was always intending to slice it.

upon opening there was a slight tangy smell, which was not present in the leaf prior to pressing.

prior to pressing, the smoke was wonderful, earthy and malty with a cigar like floral vibe. Now it is perfect. It is exactly what I want as a daily smoke. It has lost the cigar vibe, has become more balanced and has a slight richness to it. This reminds me a lot of haunted bookshop. Which I find fascinating as there is zero bright leaf or perique blended in. I’m in heaven.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

That looks delicious!!! Congrats!!
Smoking a bowl of your own homegrown is heavenly, because you know you can do it again and again.

You did good!!

 

[spicy_boiii]

This thread unreasonably excites me.

 

[Ahi Ka]

You did good!!

Thanks boss

 

[Grangerous]

I’m planting a Granger tub next to the hydrangeas... wanna see if it’ll sprout some foil pouches by mid-summer. For convenience, right next to the pipe cleaner bush and softee bit thickets.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I can't believe more people aren't giving this thread more love. We should celebrate people growing their own. Encourage it. Insist, even.

It's not rocket surgery. There are no classes or degrees you have to jump through... just grow it, follow some simple curing techniques, and mix it with whatever appeals to your tastes.

One thing is for certain, anyone who grows their own, even just once, knows head and shoulders more about tobaccos than someone who just reads tin descriptions. That's a fact.

 

[gervais]

I would love to attempt a grow, however the end season drying and curing worry me due to our cold and humid fall, then of course winter... I don't think i have the climate for it to work out. That burley sure looks amazing, congrats

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I would love to attempt a grow, however the end season drying and curing worry me due to our cold and humid fall, then of course winter... I don't think i have the climate for it to work out. That burley sure looks amazing, congrats

Burley would be the easiest. Just hang them up. Maybe in an attic. Our family farm in NC, would get really cold, and that doesn't seem to affect it. It may actually help slow down the drying, which is good. And, I remember that after the initial year of curing, they would sometimes burry the whole crop if the prices for that year weren't substantial, in hopes of a high price the following year. It's not as fragile a process as you'd think. It's actually harder to process potatoes.

 

[gervais]

Burley would be the easiest. Just hang them up. Maybe in an attic. Our family farm in NC, would get really cold, and that doesn't seem to affect it. It may actually help slow down the drying, which is good. And, I remember that after the initial year of curing, they would sometimes burry the whole crop if the prices for that year weren't substantial, in hopes of a high price the following year. It's not as fragile a process as you'd think. It's actually harder to process potatoes.

Well thank you for the info. It would be a great retirement hobby.....in 25-30 years. Lmfao. I can barely find the time to take care of my pathetic vegetable garden. I should invest more in gardening. I do enjoy it

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Well thank you for the info. It would be a great retirement hobby.....in 25-30 years. Lmfao. I can barely find the time to take care of my pathetic vegetable garden. I should invest more in gardening. I do enjoy it

It's good for the soul, and my nerves.

 

[tkcolo]

I can't even grow tomatoes. Our growing season is technically 7 days long. CONGRATS That is awesome!

 

[craig61a]

I'd love to do that but I do not have the space. Plus most of my yard is shaded by trees. Maybe I could just go and sow some seeds along the treeline at the local park...

 

[karam]

This looks and sounds like it tastes great!
Thanks for describing what you did too, maybe I'll try it with my burley-which-tastes-like-Basma.

Have you thought adding stuff to it? Honey, rum, vanilla, tonquin etc?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'd love to do that but I do not have the space. Plus most of my yard is shaded by trees. Maybe I could just go and sow some seeds along the treeline at the local park...

Some of the strongest tobaccos are shade grown. It might be worth a try, if you're interested. I had half my semois growing in shade a few years ago, and I liked it better. It's not as fast and they don't get as big, but flavor and potency seems to increase. FWIW

 

[macaroni]

Beautiful! Thanks for the great posts!!
Right now, the tiniest green leaves are poking up through the potting soil in 3 seed trays--I'm hoping they'll grow big!!
kindly
mike

 

[Ahi Ka]

Have you thought adding stuff to it? Honey, rum, vanilla, tonquin etc?

I have a friend who has used these to flavour his cavendish. I’ve only been using straight tobacco amd water so far as I want to understand heat the impact of age, pressure and heat.

 

[Ahi Ka]

On another note, picked the leaves from my cured semois today and put into the kiln. Very excited

 

[OzPiper]

Would humidity (Sydney is very humid) cause fungal problems during the drying/curing process ?
Where do you source tobacco seeds ?

 

[saltedplug]

Fantastic! You not only grew the tobacco yourself, but you also cured it and finished with a product that's tasty and smokeable. How admirable!

 

[sittingbear]

That looks amazing! Congrats! I'm looking forward to doing this myself but the apartment where we live currently is not conducive to growing anything whatsoever. Maybe next year....