Ethnobotanicals Poppy harvesting questions + more

[teaparty]

I'm trying to maximize my yield because I didn't grow very many. I wait until about a week after petals have fell off. Then I score 1/3th the pod and collecting latex, wait two days, score another 1/3, then wait another two days and cut the bulb down to dry. This leaves me with some latex and a bulb for tea.

Is there a better way to harvest or is this OK?

I'm planning on just eating the latex because I don't want to smoke it. Do I need to mix with warm water or heat in any way to affect alkaloids or other components? Is there issue with thebaine in raw latex?

After scoring/latex collecting, I end up cutting bulb down about 2 weeks after petals fall off. The bulb is still green and the crown is point up, but not open for seeds. Is OK to harvest bulb at this point? Or should I wait longer for any reason?

Does when I harvest the pod affect thebaine levels?

 

[bingey]

You can eat the latex straight very spicy taste, when you have really strong stuff it's actually pink when it comes out.

And yes crown up before the seeds come out is the best time to harvest, also the first 2 to 3 inches of the stem have a pretty high alkaloid content.

As for the whole scoring thing it's a waste of time, if you don't want to drink tea simmer it down to putty.