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color curing before it gets moldy

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Junglesteader

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hey guys , ive harvested some of my first ever crop. a local wild strain not sure what variety it is , long narrow leaf 5-6ft tall pink flowers. as if that narrows it down. my growing season went great and ive got another dozen plants still in the garden they all have huge leaves, orinoco, cosstello, aztec, velvet burley, samsun, and paris cigar .
i stalk cured this batch and its been hanging for maybe only a few weeks. leaves are light brown with some gold . the stalks are still green. the leaves slip off the stalk easy. its been pretty dry here in the tropical rainforest so the leaves are crinkly some are just a bit flexible. my understanding is thats too dry for storage?
i know most folks would leave it hanging for weeks or months more but my concern is this dry weather aint gonna last and when the wetness does come back it will stay and they might mold, and wont get dry enough to put in a bucket or jars, and i could lose it all to mold.
so i think i should take advantage of the dry weather and put the leaves away in a bucket before rain returns and they mold . it might not be this dry again for months.
ive smoked some and its mild and smooth tastes like tobacco but smelling the leaf it doesnt have that tobacco aroma yet.
to help you understand i have had clothes mold hanging in my house. plus i will need the area for hanging my next batch, and the weather may not be in my favor to store the old batch when the next batch of plants are ripe.

i know its a long question , what do ya think ? all opinions are appreciatted. thanks to this forum im gonna have lbs of smoke for the year.
 

AmaxB

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I'd get it in order so I could handle it if I was ready to take it down. Be sure your stems are dry 1st you did not say if it is in a shed, room, or closet. So it is hard to say how to get some moisture in it. Maybe mist it.
Once the right moisture is in the leaf I would bag or box it.
 

Junglesteader

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it is hanging inside my tiny cabin wich can get very humid when its wet out side. the leaf stems are dry and snap, the main stalks are still green. getting moisture in it is easy, getting it out is hard . they soften up in the night and are a bit pliable in the mornings. i could even put them on the deck at night and they would soften up. is it that important i not store them crinkly dry? becuase i wannna make sure they dont mold in storage too.
 

johnlee1933

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it is hanging inside my tiny cabin wich can get very humid when its wet out side. the leaf stems are dry and snap, the main stalks are still green. getting moisture in it is easy, getting it out is hard . they soften up in the night and are a bit pliable in the mornings. i could even put them on the deck at night and they would soften up. is it that important i not store them crinkly dry? becuase i wannna make sure they don't mold in storage too.
There is very little chance of mold with "crinkly" dry leaf. There is a chance of physical damage to leaf that dry. Selecting the proper case for long term storage is important and a matter of trial and error. My choice has been to store maybe too dry and be exceptionally careful handling. When I want to use leaf I'll open the plastic bag, spray in some water, reseal it and wait over night. I repeat that process till I get the case I want for a particular task.

John
 

Aaron

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it's important that the midrib of each leaf be completely dried before storage or the moisture in the midrib may create mold also. then, if needed, you can bring the moisture content back up enough to be able to work the leaf without breaking it.
 

Knucklehead

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If I remember correctly, leaf that is crumbly dry stops the aging process. You want a tiny bit of moisture. If it gets crumbly dry and you moisturize it, the aging process starts back up, so it's not a deal breaker, it just needs the moisture for the process to work. As the leaf ages, it will take on that tobacco smell and become smoother and better tasting. This is not such a big deal if you have a kiln to force age the leaf, but if you plan to naturally age like me, it's something to keep in mind.
 

indianjoe

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Junglesteader,
you have an interesting situation with the amount of humidity in your area. In order to store your tobacco leaf without mold, store it midrib dry and sealed against the environment. If you are storing with stalks, I would be worried about the chance of mold and would prime all your leaves without the stalk, dry and store.
 

Junglesteader

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i put the leaves in a 5 gal bucket with a tight lid the other day. and yes without stalks. midribs snap , and are dry. definatley not worried about mold . my next thing to figure out is getting them to the right moisture content so it can continue aging.
i just looked at them and heres what i see from several samples, i can fold the leaf and midrib does not snap, unless you force it flat , the thick end of midrib snaps easily between the thumbs however. i can gently twist the leaf lengthwise with a little crinkle sound but i doesnt shatter or crumble. they are just a tad pliable not like cloth or leathery or vynil, but just enough it doesnt crumble to peices.
so they are not bone dry, im assuming this is enough moisture to allow the aging procces, but maybe if they were a little more moist they would age quicker, or better? its definatley drier than most commercial rolling tobacco.

this winter i got on this forum and i decided i would grow some baccy this summer, ive already got about a couple lbs of colored leaf begining to age and the best has yet to come my second batch i planted this year is way bigger and better looking than the first. not too mention a mix of types. i will be hangin them pretty soon here, and realy look forward to sampling my different varieties.
thanks for all the help folks
 

DonH

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That sounds about right for storage. Congratulations on your season.
Sounds right to me too. Don't compare it to commercial rolling tobacco. They add things to keep it moist that also inhibit mold (glycerin? Propylene glycol? I forget). When you want to smoke it, you can increase the moisture.
 

Chicken

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Well how did this crop turn out for you??

After the storing....was thier any issues?
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I feel sorry for all you guys who have to contend with high humidity. Mold would be human error around here. I don't think it's more than 30% this summer. I even doubt in my garage it would get more than 70% when it rains for a day. Only humidity issues come from poor circulation in the walls when the cars are tracking in tons of snow in the winter.
 
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