My husband and I
 |
| Tobacco drying shed |
If you don’t have a family member who smokes cigars, you’ve
probably never heard of Connecticut Valley-grown broad leaf wrappers.
When Cuba
was famous for their hand-rolled cigars, the premium wrapper in the world was
grown in Connecticut. Shaded fields filled the farms of northern Connecticut. Tobacco
is on crop that draws its flavor from the soil. The plants have been planted in
Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rico and other sites further south. They
produce a useable leaf but it doesn’t have the flavor.
So, with the recent upsurge in cigar popularity, growers are
opening the old fields.
In years past, the last weeks of high school had growers
recruiting boys and girls to work in the tobacco fields for the summer. The
farms would send a bus to pick up the workers in the early morning and return
them around four pm.
This was in the days before itinerant farm workers and the
guys were glad to do the hard job. They worked by the piece. A faster picker could
bring home decent money.
The girls didn’t pick, they used a large needle threaded through
the stems to make bunches that were then hung in the drying sheds.
My bother returned home filthy, covered in black dust from
head to toe. He did this every summer until college.
I'm glad I got a job at the library.
Check out my new release, Journey of the Magi, with a happy
ending in Connecticut.
Noel is struggling to keep her promise to her children. A
blizzard in Minnesota, a broken down car and lack of money halts their journey
to a home in Connecticut. When the man of her dreams offers his help and love,
can she resist? http://amzn.com/B00ES5DZEQ
Please
follow, friend or like me. I love to hear from my readers.
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Barb_ed
Facebook
like page
8 comments:
Great memories. And what sounds like a great book. Think about how nice it is to have hard work part of our heritage.
Wow, sounds like hard labor. Kids today are probably way too soft for that sort of work. I know my girls are! Best of luck with your new book, Barbara!
Hi Margo,
I look back and wonder if this generation could work as hard as our parents. Thanks for the good wishes.
It was hard but the money was very good for the times.
Wow, interesting post. I would love to visit Connecticut someday. I am fascinated with that part of the country. I have Magi, just need to find a chance to read it...sounds wonderful!
Hi Alicia,
Come in the Fall for the foliage. Hope you find time soon.
I had no idea tobacco was a crop in Connecticut. How fascinating! Fall foliage in the northeast can't be beat. Where I now live in southeastern Virginia, the colors aren't nearly as pretty. I miss that!
Hi Leah,
It's definitely returning. I wish I had pictures of the shades over the plants. Maybe next year.
Post a Comment