Subj : Smoker's Alley                                           [1]
To   : Dave Drum
From : Ruth Haffly
Date : Sun Apr 13 2025 16:01:17

Hi Dave,

 RH> folks they got it from used it ceremonially. But, I'm with you in
 RH> feeling that there's no good use for it. Fresh curing tobacco smells
 RH> nice but we drove thru Winston-Salem back in 1977--city smelt like an
 RH> old cigarette--P! U!

 DD> I noticed that "bottom of an ash tray" smell back in my trucking days.

I think it has gotten better over the years, couldn't get much worse
than it was.

 DD> Even though the indigenous folks used tobacco ceremonially I see no
 DD> reason not to have outlawed it like was done to the funny mushrooms
 DD> and peyote cactus buds used by indigenous people in the southwest.

At this point, I should think that it would be rather hard to outlaw
tobacco useage. Too many people are nicotine addicts and would raise
quite the objection.

 DD>      8<----- CHOP ----->8

 DD>   RH> Good that it's still in the family. Back when I was still in
 DD> early
 RH> grade school, my mom's mother gave us a set of bedroom furniture that
 RH> was moved into the room us 3 girls shared. Big, black, ugly stuff. When
 RH> my younger brother moved into the house 10 years ago, he got rid of it,
 RH> I don't know where. Probably worth some money but none of us wanted it.

 DD> Old is old. Quality and desirability are different things altogether.

Yes, I know. This set might have been worth something but it was not a
style appreciated these days unless you have big rooms. My folks sold
the bed's head and footboards; there would not have been enough space in
that room for them. As is, we had a double bed, a twin bed, 2 big
dressers, a night stand, a desk and a bookshelf (about 6' tall by 4'
long) crammed into that room. We had small walking spaces between
everything.

 DD> Black walnut meats are/should be fairly expensive due to the hand
 DD> labour involved it their "harvesting" ... unlike English/European
 DD> walnets which are more pecan-like in taste and harvesting of the
 DD> kernels.

 RH> I've never tried shelling them but I understand they're quite staining.
 RH> I've read various books where one of the characters uses the juice from
 RH> the walnuts to stain his (rarely her) skin as a disguise. We keep
 RH> regular walnuts and almonds on hand; Steve likes to add them to cereal,
 RH> ice cream, and other foods. I'm not as fond of nuts in my food so he
 RH> just keeps a jar (each) of ground nuts on the kitchen counter to add as
 RH> he sees fit.

 DD> The dye stuff (also used on cloth, sometimes inadvertently) comes from
 DD> the outer hull of the walnut. Removing that is a genuine PITA but is
 DD> the first step toward gettin at the hard, erose kernel that contains
 DD> the nut meats. My grandfather built a trough with a mesh bottom that
 DD> he could
 DD> fill with walnuts fresh from the trees. The family car was then driven
 DD> down the trough doing most of the outer hull removal.

I've read of that being done, never saw it so couldn't, until now,
verify that it was (is) an acceptable way of shelling them. Any idea of
what was done (other than muscle power) before cars were invented?


 DD> Still had to crack that tough nut in the middle and dig the bounty
 DD> from it, though.

I imagine so; I probably wouldn't have the muscle power to crack them.


 DD>       Title: Saddle of Rabbit Roasted in Tobacco Leaf w/Garlic Sauce
 DD>  Categories: Game, Vegetables, Wine, Herbs
 DD>       Yield: 4 Servings

Fit the topic but doesn't sound like anything I'd go for.

 DD>       4    Leaves blond tobacco

Picked but not yet cured? That's what I'd guess, seeing enough of it in
various stages here in NC. Not nearly as much as when we lived in the
state from the mid 70s to early 80s but still a major crop.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


.... You learn something useless every day.

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

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