Tobacco

[mannyrock]

 
  Well Guys, this is a very interesting thread.
 
   I have retired to a rural part of Virginia.  I don't smoke, but I met a nice lady at church one Sunday, and she asked if I wanted to come to her home that afternoon to "sit on the front porch."  Not knowing exactly what that meant, and being unattached at the time, I agreed.
 
    Well, she lived way back up on the side of a mountain, in a small house more than a hundred years old, with hand hewn logs and a covered front porch.   When I finally found the place, she opened the front door and I was "greeted" by two spotted pit bulls.  After she got them beaten down and tied up, she came outside with a big blue tin candy box, filled with chopped tobacco, and a small cheap looking hand-roll cigarette machine.  She said she grew and cured the tobacco herself.  There was an old wooden shed behind the house, but I wasn't about to go in.
 
      While I sat and drank Diet Coke, she rolled cigarettes with that little machine like a pro.  After she got the first one made, she lit it up and starting making the next one.  By the time she finished smoking the first one, she had another one ready to go.  She could make these cigarettes without even looking down at her hands.   After two hours of this, I think she had chain smoked about 40 of them, and I had had about a gallon of Diet Coke.  Most of the conversation was  her ranting and raving about how she deserved a 100% social security disability rating, and a government check for life, because she had wrenched her shoulder yanking a pully at a steel factory.   I could see that this was leading nowhere, so I said goodbye and left. 
 
   After that, . . . I changed churches, fearful that perhaps by engaging in this ritual with her, I had somehow gotten "hitched" or something.
 
Mannyrock

[Ranger99]

congratulations on your engagement!

[thumper113]

Aunt Maddie's been looking all over for you!  You was supposed to meet the rest of the family next weekend.

[briarpatch]

If those that smoke could throw them down and move on, that is an area you would not have to worry about in your preps.

[keith44]

If those that smoke could throw them down and move on, that is an area you would not have to worry about in your preps.

Interesting timing, I am enjoying the first smoke I have had in ten years.  No longer addicted, and could really care less if I never smoke again, but very enjoyable.  There is just something about the taste of the first few draws from a quality rolled tobacco product.  A peaceful calming of the cares of the day. 

A friend at work offered a sample of what he had grown and rolled.  Much better than the chemical laden stuff I used to smoke.

[hillbill]

  Well Guys, this is a very interesting thread.
 
   I have retired to a rural part of Virginia.  I don't smoke, but I met a nice lady at church one Sunday, and she asked if I wanted to come to her home that afternoon to "sit on the front porch."  Not knowing exactly what that meant, and being unattached at the time, I agreed.
 
    Well, she lived way back up on the side of a mountain, in a small house more than a hundred years old, with hand hewn logs and a covered front porch.   When I finally found the place, she opened the front door and I was "greeted" by two spotted pit bulls.  After she got them beaten down and tied up, she came outside with a big blue tin candy box, filled with chopped tobacco, and a small cheap looking hand-roll cigarette machine.  She said she grew and cured the tobacco herself.  There was an old wooden shed behind the house, but I wasn't about to go in.
 
      While I sat and drank Diet Coke, she rolled cigarettes with that little machine like a pro.  After she got the first one made, she lit it up and starting making the next one.  By the time she finished smoking the first one, she had another one ready to go.  She could make these cigarettes without even looking down at her hands.   After two hours of this, I think she had chain smoked about 40 of them, and I had had about a gallon of Diet Coke.  Most of the conversation was  her ranting and raving about how she deserved a 100% social security disability rating, and a government check for life, because she had wrenched her shoulder yanking a pully at a steel factory.   I could see that this was leading nowhere, so I said goodbye and left. 
 
   After that, . . . I changed churches, fearful that perhaps by engaging in this ritual with her, I had somehow gotten "hitched" or something.
 
Mannyrock

now that is a funny story! now me being me, id of had to ask what was for dinner?

[Ranger99]

she was smoking tobacco, and not "tobacco" right? 

[keith44]

 
 
 After two hours of this, I think she had chain smoked about 40 of them, and I had had about a gallon of Diet Coke.  Most of the conversation was  her ranting and raving about how she deserved a 100% social security disability rating, and a government check for life, because she had wrenched her shoulder yanking a pully at a steel factory.   I could see that this was leading nowhere, so I said goodbye and left. 
 
   
 
Mannyrock

Sadly, every factory I have worked in has had a number of people on the payroll who's goal in life was to receive government assistance, so they could retire early.  "Factory mentality" I call it.


Since this thread has drifted so far from the original intent, let me say (since I am the OP ) that I prefer threads to be conversational and take whatever course they take.  Assuming the moderators don't mind

[briarpatch]

If those that smoke could throw them down and move on, that is an area you would not have to worry about in your preps.

Interesting timing, I am enjoying the first smoke I have had in ten years.  No longer addicted, and could really care less if I never smoke again, but very enjoyable.  There is just something about the taste of the first few draws from a quality rolled tobacco product.  A peaceful calming of the cares of the day. 

A friend at work offered a sample of what he had grown and rolled.  Much better than the chemical laden stuff I used to smoke.

Keith, you have been quit 10 years and put a cigar in your mouth? Man, I quit cigs January 1 1979 and would not even pick one up for fear I could somehow get hooked again. I worked with a guy that had been quit 11 years and one night while out with some woman he had met started smoking again and after a few months he was a patheic mess trying to stop again and I dont know if he was able to or not. He said it was ten times harder the second time. He retired a year or so later.
Best of luck with that stuff.

[keith44]

well I still chew (twists), I put cigarettes down 10 years ago, the cigars well that had been 15 years.  Never did want more than one or two cigars a week so likely not to be an issue.

[reliquary]

I've been off the product since 1 August 1980 and quitting was the hardest thing I ever did.
 
 Being in field units in service, there were times & places that one couldn't light up, so I used snuff, pouch & plug, and occasionally a pipe.  I sometimes still dream about having a jaw full of RedMan and how good it tasted. 
 
When I'm around folks who smoke, I find myself breathing deeper... ...I guess the urge will always be there, like with an alcoholic?

[Bugflipper]

With long term storage in a container tobacco will dry out. Since a little moisture is wanted to make it less harsh there's an easy way to bring stored tobacco back. My grandpa smoked one particular brand of tobacco that he couldn't get where we lived. When he went out west he would stock up with enough to last 5-10 years in loose tobacco. He had a cigarette machine that would roll filtered and non-filtered cigarettes. I was in charge of making them as a kid. With an old stale bag of tobacco I would put a handful in a cool whip container. The top had a cotton ball glued to it . It would be moistened when left overnight. The next day it went into a cigarette pouch. You could roll them for about 2 weeks with it still being fresh out of the pouch. A sliced potato would do the same thing. It's just the humidor concept. So if a fellow grew and stored his own he could have a long term supply put back to use or barter with it. I added a little bit of rabbit tobacco in to it because he said it made it healthier. Turns out it really does have some good qualities to it. http://thesouthernherbalist.com/rabbit-tobacco-0

[keith44]

rabbit tobacco, not just for kids sneaking a smoke 

[mannyrock]

 
 Just a side thought.  It would probably be safer to trade pre-purchased tobacco after a shtf scenario, than pre-purchased alcohol.   Folks who are desperate for tobacco will probably be cranky and upset but not dangerous.  But, the tens of millions of alcoholics who go into DTs (delerium tremors) may actually kill someone to get a drink.
 
Mannyrock

[Mike in Virginia]

They grow it here in the southern part of the state.  I got a cured leaf, cut it up and tried it in my pipe.  It ain't cool smoking, and the taste is too strong.  I suppose if the old timers were addicted to it, cool and sweet didn't matter.  I love my pipe, but I like store bought tobacco, Prince Albert being my favorite. 

[keith44]

well after curing, it needs aging and (optional) sweetening 

[reliquary]

I kept a few leaves off the plant I grew and am trying out different locations for curing and aging.  Just for grins. 
 
These leaves have been hanging for about three months.  I pinched off a bit to taste a few days ago and, while it isn't as bitter as a green persimmon, it is quite close.  Definitely would need sweetening.
 
Some reading a while back...the tobacco grown and used by Indians was extremely strong and that was one reason for the long tubes on their pipes: to cool and mellow it out a bit.

[ravage250]

my grandad grew tobbacco till he was 80 and the tobbacco we used for chewing tobbacco was dark we would mellow it by spraying with with water then lettin dry you had to really watch the mostire level in it