Twisted carrot

[Norrlander]

I'm still very new to this and not certain this is the right place, BUT...
I'm growing some Burley up here in the north of Sweden, and due to losing last years crop I've been cropping leaves as they mature instead of waiting for the whole plant.

SO, what to do next? I fancy trying some twists. I found this video:

View: https://youtu.be/9KnW6jG3U9s

And it looks like a method to suit my lifestyle, but I'm wondering about the cure (or apparent lack) of his leaves. Any thoughts?

It seems to me that his midribs are still very green (similar to my first-cropped leaves at the moment) is that due to a difference in variety, or is it time for me to start twisting?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

He says "just like rolling a cigar". That's not really true as you likely already know. I agree that there are concerns with the quality of his cure.

These twists are not really dense or tight enough to have much of an effect on aging. However, they do put it into a form that's easy to store and slice. It all depends on what you want.

This may be satisfactory for you. If you're looking for a more dense rope, your options include using a more moist set of leaves (this comes with risk), doing more than one wrapper leaf, making it tighter with each wrap, using rope.

Not as "natural", "down to earth" kind of process, but personally, I put my carrottes (straight) into a plastic bag and compress them with fiberglass tape. It keeps moisture in, oxygen out, and permits fermentation.

 

[Norrlander]

Hm. Thanks for that, kind of nice to have my suspicion confirmed; perhaps I am learning after all
As for what I want, I'm hoping for an easy storage of something I can slice later and use for chew or rub out for my pipe. To that end I'll carry on curing for now!

 

[deluxestogie]

If you listen to the video, but don't watch it, the narrator is entirely correct. He has read his history. But he appears to be clueless about curing tobacco. I would guess that he is not a smoker. Those cute little twists of dry, green leaf are unsmokable tobacco. Once it dries green, it can not ever be properly cured.



While there are methods of twisting rope and carrots with green leaf, my attempts have molded, prior to curing. Far safer would be starting with fully color-cured leaf.

Bob

 

[ArizonaDave]

If you listen to the video, but don't watch it, the narrator is entirely correct. He has read his history. But he appears to be clueless about curing tobacco. I would guess that he is not a smoker. Those cute little twists of dry, green leaf are unsmokable tobacco. Once it dries green, it can not ever be properly cured.

View attachment 32343

While there are methods of twisting rope and carrots with green leaf, my attempts have molded, prior to curing. Far safer would be starting with fully color-cured leaf.

Bob

Bob, I concur. My prior attempts also molded prior to curing.

 

[Norrlander]

It's very gratifying to feel that I'm beginning to understand (some of) this!
While I've got your attention, I noticed the chap left the midribs intact. Once my leaves are properly ready to try this method, would you advise me to remove them or leave them?

Thanks for the concise responses so far

 

[deluxestogie]

Here is a video on twist making that @FmGrowit posted a couple of years ago:

Bob

EDIT: watch the tying of the very end with the video in full-screen.

 

[Norrlander]

That looks like it was a very good and informative gathering

 

[Norrlander]

So I just made my first carrot...
It's the first 10 leaves which reached colour cure (the rest are taking their sweet time, so we'll see what becomes of them) and the process went remarkably smoothly.
I'm quite happy with the result and would now like to pick your collective brains once more...

What suggestions do you have for how I should store it now, while it (hopefully) continues maturing into something worth having?
I'm particularly interested in historical-based stuff in the vein of the frontier era, because I live off-grid with very limited electricity.

Extra information, in case it helps; the leaves are from Burley plants which I chose to prime this year (so I know that colour cure is only the start of the story) and they smell amazingly like honey once they lose the green

 

[deluxestogie]

Very nice. I would allow them to dry completely, then store them in a humidor to gradually come into low case (~60-65% RH) to age.

Bob

 

[Norrlander]

Thanks Bob, you're a true gentleman.
So, next to research the construction of a humidor then!

Staying with the 'frontiersman' theme, I'm imagining a town-dwelling gent with a humidor for the good stuff, but what about the common man on the move? Any historians that can help me flesh out the story here?

Meanwhile, carrot number 1 has now been placed all alone on a shelf in the solar dehydrator.

 

[deluxestogie]

Any closable container--wood, plastic, ceramic--and flick a few drops of water in it--town water, bottled water, well water, rain water--whenever the tobacco seems really dry. Or you can wait for the ambient humidity to rise, then wrap them in a well-cured animal skin, or even a strip of oil-cloth.

If your ambient humidity (indoors or outdoors) averages in the range of 60 to 75%, then just put them on a string, and let them hang.

Bob

 

[Ifyougotem]

Greetings, Norrlander. Some good info from your post- I'm also interested in trying a DIY rope. I've never grown my own tobacco, but have to think you might have a "grow window" up north to raise a good Canadian-strain VA, if you like that type. By the way, if you don't object, I'm using your post heading for my vegan-metal band name. :- )

 

[Norrlander]

I'll be sure to look out for Twisted Carrot's first album!