Experiments in baccy

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A while back LegIron posted an update on his Tobacco experiments and I promised I’d share what I’d been up to with my experiments. So now with all of last years leaves all packed and mellowing and the new crop in I thought it a good time for that update. Before I go any further I must point out that I don’t smoke so I’m dependent on friends for feedback as to how well it smokes and so far that feedback is good. I’m mainly growing baccy because I can and because people think you can’t (it’ll also be a valuable skill come the collapse of society or the zombie apocalypse whichever happens first). That the powers that be seem to be thinking about banning tobacco growing is just one more reason to learn how to grow and cure it.

Being the lazy sort I prefer to buy seedlings rather than starting from seed just because it’s easier and allows me to experiment with a larger number of varieties. This year I’m trying out the seedlings from http://www.uktobaccoplants.co.uk/ who have been great to deal with and sent good healthy plants. I’m still working on the best place/way to grow them in my garden but as I’m growing several varieties this year I hope to be able to experiment with cigar making.
Golden Virginia
This year I’m trying growing fewer plants but giving them more space, as ever slugs and snails are a real problem but mulch should help.

So enough of this years plans on to the interesting bits, drying and curing. I’ve tried a few methods for drying and curing based on reading various other people’s experiments and from notes from tobacco seed and plant sellers. Not sure if I’ve the best method yet but this is how I did the sample I sent LegIron and worked better and with less effort than methods I’ve used on previous years.

Continue reading →

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UK politics in 60 seconds

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To me the one defining feature of this general election campaign has been how little there is to choose between any of the parties, the main parties are the most obvious example of this but even the more “radical” fringe parties exhibit a surprising level of agreement with the main parties just below the surface. Sure they have maybe one or two “big” ideas that make them stand apart from the rest but outside of those key policy areas the differences quickly become remarkably hard to spot. Other people have already down a thoroughly good job at looking at this narrowing of the realm of political discourse – so I won’t go over that ground again. None of the parties as far as I’ve been able to tell have a clear set of beliefs or ideology that would give us any hint as to how they’ll behave in the event of unexpected circumstances. No all we have are endless lists going into the minutiae of what they’ll fund or cut, who they like or dislike and what they’re 6 favourite records are. There little to no underlying philosophy to any of these lists to tie it all together into a coherent system and then the politicians wonder why we find them out of touch and don’t trust them. I can understand that there might be some pragmatic agreement between many of the parties on many issues as they’ve all got the same set of cards to deal with so they’ve got a constrained choice, but there’s little to no imaginative thinking and no vision of the direction they want to take the country in. It’s like being asked to pick a government based on what colour of paper clip we should be using and if we should be paying for them on 30 days or 3 week terms.

I don’t blame the politicians entirely, after all they respond to what they perceive that we want so if we shout down every radical or even slightly inventive idea then we get left with a collection of identikit manifesto’s differing in little more than the colour of pen they were written in.

However fear not I’ve finally found the perfect video to summarize the entire general election campaign and the manifesto’s of all the “significant” parties. I think in just 60 seconds this makes quite clear what choices we’re being presented with and I do include the Greens, SNP and UKIP in this I’m afraid.

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In the interest of democracy

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(This was originally posted to the book of face)

Dear Internet,

It hasn’t failed to escape my attention that there’s a general election thingy fast approaching. So in line with posts I’ve seen from quite a few of my friends I would urge you all to get out and vote – but if you vote or even just think about voting for a party I don’t like please de-friend yourself immediately. As we’re all mature adults and capable of reasoned and intelligent debate please beware that I’m not interested in knowing your reasons or any details of your local situation or specifics of the candidates you have to choose from. It’s quite clear that democracy can’t possibly benefit from discussion of opposing view points and further I value you so little as a friend that your reasons are of no importance to me. Simply by considering voting for a party I disapprove of – for what ever reason – you have proved yourself to be so far beyond the pale that I must request that you remove yourself entirely from my social circle – I would do it myself but that wouldn’t be passive aggressive enough and would involve my taking ownership of my own narrow-mindedness (also we still have that awkward private ballot thing – and I have no way of knowing what you think).
No matter it is quite clear that only utterly reprehensible people could possibly even consider voting for parties I disapprove of and as such there is no value in talking to you about it if you are having such thoughts. No matter what other evidence I have from years of friendship that you generally have views worth discussing.

So I urge you once more please remember to vote for parties I don’t dislike and if you even think about voting for a party I dislike please remove yourself from my echo chamber as that’s the best way for a healthy democracy to work.

Thank you.

For those of you not fluent in sarcasm I refer you to my previous post on this matter.

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