Curing Tobacco
Thought I would share one of the sights you see all around the South. Curing tobacco in the barn. The barns are tall and narrow.
The tobacco leaves are wrapped on sticks
so that the leaf hangs down. There are
several leaves on a stick. The sticks
are then places in slots along the
inside of the barn or on a contraption
that looks like scaffolding.
This farmer is fire curing his crop.
The barn is wrapped in plastic to keep
the heat in and cure the tobacco. There
is a fire box or stove in the barn. It
can take from three days to several
weeks to cure the crop. You can see the
smoke and steam coming out of the top
of the barn. This method of curing
gives you low sugar and high nicotine.
This tobacco is used mainly for pipe
smoking, chewing tobacco and snuff.
These barns and the ritual of curing
your own are slowly falling away. I
find it all rather sad.
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