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Please Note:
We do not offer
tobacco leaf or any other tobacco products for sale. |
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This section of the website is intended for
the historical
and informational purposes of thinking adults. Anyone who
has been raised since the turn of the 20th century already knows that tobacco can be addictive and
lead to various forms of cancer. If
you do not smoke, it would seem illogical to start. We, in no way,
encourage people to use any form of tobacco product.
In his 1954 work, "The Gentle
Art of Smoking", Alfred H. Dunhill was nostalgic for a past when
smoking was an "art" and enjoyed as a pleasurable pastime in
elegant smoking rooms. He remarked
that the "furious tempo of modern life" had resulted in tobacco, in the
form of ubiquitous cigarettes, being used as a narcotic to calm frayed
nerves and becoming a habit and therefore no longer pleasurable. Common
sense dictates that anything you do to your body in excess (a habit) is
detrimental. |
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The Original Breath Deodorant |
University of Florida - "Growing Tobacco in the Home Garden"
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Cultivation, Harvest, and Curing
We originally started growing and offering
tobacco seeds as
ornamental annuals. They are a
quite magnificent plant with beautiful flowers making them a great
selection for the back of flower beds. All of the seed varieties available here have interesting
histories, were grown in different geographical locations, and
cultivated for varied and different final uses. All grew well for
us here in Oregon.
Pictorial of a Growing Cycle
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It starts with seeds. Seeds are
sprinkled onto the surface of a sterile seed starting mix and
watered in. |
Tiny seedlings emerge in about 10
days. |
Early July. This is actually
about where the plants should be in early June. |
Early August. Again, about a
month behind the optimum stage. |
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Flower heads are bagged for
seed production. They are covered before the flowers open in
order to maintain purity of
the variety. For production of leaf, however, the plants are topped
and later suckered as required. |
Early September. Note the plants
are beginning to ripen (yellow). This is intended and desired
for proper curing. There are some "dark leaf" varieties that
cure from green to brown but TN86 cures from green to yellow to
brown. |
Cut, wilted, and ready to stick.
That is, using a tobacco spear on the end of a "tobacco stick" that has been
driven into the ground, the stalks are pierces and threaded onto the
stick. The sticks are then gathered and moved to the tobacco
barns. |
For personal use scales of growing,
tying twine onto the stalk works just fine. Here is a stick ready for the barn.
Other areas out of inclement weather and direct sunlight will work
fine as well. For example, the raters of a carport or garage. |
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Air curing in the barn. The warm
days and cool nights of early fall are perfect conditions for curing
tobacco leaf. |
At one week, yellow colors begin to
change to varying shades of brown. |
At eight weeks the air curing process
is nearly complete. |
Tobacco Spear (aka Spud)
Courtesy David Pendergrass |
After the tobacco has cured for a period
from several months to several years, it is then
fermented and processed in many
different ways. Most of these methods are proprietary and highly
guarded
secrets of the cigar masters. These processes are the reason why
various tobacco products have such distinct aromas and flavors.
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These are an example
of amateur, homegrown and home rolled cigars. They represent
a first, second, and third attempt after doing nothing more than
researching and reading how it is done. Some of the
informative informational links are found by
clicking here.
The antique mold below was used to put the finish form on the
bundle. These were created using long leaf fillers - not
shredded and pressed like machine manufactured (cheap) products. |
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Opposite Edge View
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Edge View
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Inside View |
Finished Robusto Shaped
Cigars
Size: 50 ring X 5 inches |
Click
Here to Purchase Tobacco Seeds
Many of the variety descriptions above
are from the book entitled,
"Tobacco Leaf",
1897, by J. B. Killebrew, A. M., PH.D. and Herbert Myrick, B.S. |
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