Oh No, I Have Moldy Nuns!!!

[deathmetal]

I eat moldy cheese, too. Still alive. Natural antibiotics.
Some time ago, when concerned about mold because of the high presence of spores in humid climates, I looked up the recommendations for treating mold-infected homes. For ordinary mold, heating to 160 F for an hour will kill them off.
As far as smoking tobacco that has sprouted mold, I do not recommend smoking the moldy parts, but mostly because the mold is breaking down the tobacco and I have no idea what the byproducts are. Some of those may not be so pleasant.

 

[markus]

Well gents, I appreciate all of the input, but in the end, I decided it just wasn't worth the risk and chucked it all out into the yard.

Easy come, easy go, right?

I have 3 more tins in the cellar and 2 more on the way as consolation for my broken heart. :wink:

 

[deathmetal]

Glad all worked out.
As a side note, "Moldy Nuns" sounds like the worst fetish ever.

 

[jacks6]

As a side note, "Moldy Nuns" sounds like the worst fetish ever.

It's an acquired taste.

 

[deathmetal]

That image aids in its acquisition!

 

[tmb152]

About the cheese, yes, absolutely a waste of money throwing the cheese out if it is any substantial size! Any mold is on the outside only and just skin off the funky part and you have fresh cheese inside. Maybe put it in a new wrapper.
As to the tobacco, if you store your stuff in glass jars, another thing that might work as a preventative to mold is to once or twice a year go through your stock and shine a short wave UV lamp into the jars for a few minutes. Don't look at the light. You can get short wave UV bulbs (for tanning) that would kill any spores/mold within reach of the light, as opposed to long wave UV bulbs which are just "black lights." Maybe this could even be done just after jarring as a way of "sterilizing" things to get things off to a good start, though once the mold develops, I don't think the UV light alone would be enough. Just as a deterrent. ::

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Wouldn't that negate some of the positive aspects of aging that "good" fauna are responsible for?

 

[tmb152]

Wouldn't that negate some of the positive aspects of aging that "good" fauna are responsible for?

Yep, it might! UV light is strong stuff and kills bacteria and microorganisms as well. But I think enough bacteria, etc., deeper within the tobacco would survive fine to take over and age the tobacco well anyway. Any spores likely to cause a problem are mainly exposed to the outside surfaces where the light can better reach. So maybe just one good blast of UV light before, during or after jarring would be best to minimize spores and allow normal aging as well.