This describes the post-harvest transition where crops like tobacco, garlic, onions, or sweet potatoes dry out and undergo chemical changes. Growers monitor the temperature and humidity tightly during this phase to ensure the starches convert to sugars properly or the leaves reach the correct market color without rotting. A crop that fails to cure up evenly will be downgraded at the buyer's scale.
Heard on the job
The broadleaf is starting to cure up nicely in the shed, hitting that perfect brown we want.
Insider tip
Rushing the cure by cranking the heat often locks in green pigments or ruins the flavor profile.