We live in the rugged mountains of Western North Carolina. Some question the suitability of growing hops here, or think that growing hops is a new idea. To some it may be new, but those of us who are native to this area know differently.
You only have to look back into the Agricultural Census of our county, Yancey, to see what crops people were growing as far back as the 1840’s. Yes, you guessed it,hops was one of those crops! So, what happened? Why did hops just disappear and the memory with it?
I did some research and found out it was pretty much the same as what happened to the tobacco crops of the 1970’s. Mold and mildew wiped those crops out, making them too financially risky to grow. Happily, recent research has improved our knowledge about the growing and harvesting of the crop. We now know that the plants need a lot of breathing space.
Hops: Not Just For Making Beer!
Hops have not been recognized for their full potential! I often ask people: “Do you know what hops are?” I always get the same response: “It’s what people use to make beer isn’t it?” Well, yes, but hops are much more than that.
With our workshops, we try to bring back some of the culture, heritage, and tradition of growing hops. With these things we want to incorporate it into a daily way of life encouraging sustainability. Showing where the old ways and new ways are really not that much different. After all, that’s what mountain folk do: “Make do and get by.”
Growing Hops: Start Small and Simple
对于任何新的风险/项目,我们建议在你看到项目将带给你什么之前,先做得小一点。如果有很多环境问题或其他障碍,在扩大规模之前先学会如何处理这些问题。否则你会遇到很多工作,金钱和心痛!
Hops, for the most part, is a wonderful—and prolific—plant to grow.
Starting Hops From A Single Plant
你可以从一株植物中获得下一季的大量植物。啤酒花可以在秋天种植,如果有轻微的覆盖物,或者在冬天温度不会在冰点停留太久。大多数人在早春种植和/或分割根茎,这取决于温度。
You can usually start planting in March, but watch the temps. If they fall too low and you have young growth, cover the plants lightly.
If temp gets high or sun is strong on the plant, uncover the plant or the heat can kill it.
Hops have rhizomes—not only do they run above ground they run below ground as well. This is good when it comes to getting new plants from your one plant.
In the early spring when ground temps are warm enough—60 degrees should be ok—you can start digging up some of the rhizomes that have developed from last season’s growth. When digging you can see shoots that are starting on the rhizomes—almost like “eyes” on potatoes.
Planting Hops
You can cut pieces that have at least 3 shoots or “eyes.” These pieces may be as small as an inch. You can take these pieces you collect and immediately set them out wherever you’ve chosen for your hops spot, or you can pot these pieces in top soil, soil from your garden or wooded areas—hops are not too choosy about their dirt. You just need to make sure they do not dry out. Water them when slightly dry.
You can also take cuttings from the vines and put them in water and usually within 5-7 days you can see fibrous roots. When roots are established these can be set out or potted.
啤酒花确实需要某种类型的葡萄栽培系统,因为为了生产好啤酒花,并抵抗一些影响啤酒花的疾病,如霉菌和霉变。啤酒花必须是空中的。
这可以是任何东西,从简单的棚架使用现有的棚架用于豆类或西红柿。你可以把它放在容器里,让藤蔓插到树上,其他直立结构或五月柱类型的建筑上。
Growing Hops
The plants do this fine on their own! If weighed too heavy with foliage, or subject to hot, rainy days, the plants may develop mildew or other types of fungus. Try to make sure they get plenty of air.
One solution, similar to what we do with tomato plants, is cut off the bottom leaves to allow breathing. Also, this way water/rain doesn’t splash up on leaves.
Working With Hops
The plant is hairy and they prick so be careful and use gloves when working with this plant especially if you have sensitive skin. This is the plant’s way to hold on as it grows upward.
These plants arenotorious for caterpillars, like the saddle back varieties that sting and can cause severe allergic reactions. These little creatures will often hide on the underside of the leaves. The hops will usually have aphids as well. We donottreat for disease or insects because we are ano-chemicalfarm!
When To Harvest Hops
You will see small flowers on the young plant, which will develop into the cone-shaped fruit that you are waiting for!
当圆锥体开始感觉干燥,打开一点,你就可以看到黄色的菊粉了,就到了收获啤酒花的时候了。每个啤酒花会在不同的时间成熟,所以要确保你的啤酒花是干燥的。如果他们感到潮湿,他们就太年轻了。
When harvesting you can use immediately—some call this “wet” or “green” hops. If they are completely dry, you can package for sale or later use. Make sure they do not get damp or too hot or they can develop mold.
How To Dry Hops
You can use a dehydrator on the same level as you use for herbs (100/110 degrees). The hops will become “crumbly” when rubbed when they are dry enough.
How long this takes will depend on your dehydrator and the humidity in the air—usually, two to three hours. You can sun/air dry hops but you must make sure they are completely dry when taking up—don’t let the evening dew or rain hit them.
You can use old screens but make sure you sanitize before using them. (I prefer not to go this route incase of leaching from the metal of the screen). You can also use a “warm” oven like you would for drying herbs—no hotter than 110 (preferably 100 degrees) until dry.
When packaging hops, I prefer to use brown bags with closure, or biodegradable sealed bags. Keep the bags out of direct sunlight, the same as you would with herbs.
NOTE: Directly after harvesting I put a cupful of hops at a time in a fine sieve or strainer and tap gently to try to remove any aphids that wanted to hitch a ride!
The Many Uses For Hops
在过去,妇女们会用啤酒花做酵母蛋糕。当然,这些酵母和我们今天在商店里买的酵母不一样,但总比没有好!
Hops can be used as a sleep aid in an infusion or tea. This is also considered a good remedy for arthritis. This also makes use of the leaves of the hops plant so, that nothing is wasted!
It’s also being looked into for treatment of diabetes and for a type of silage feed for animals. The binds or vines can be used for making baskets—I suggest using gloves!
You can make a simple homemade beer to use in breadmaking or soaking your home-made cheeses.
We have developed our own Hops jelly.
We also use the hops in some of our Goats’ milk lye soaps!
Just be creative!
For more info you will findthis North Carolina State University site about herbsvery helpful—especially if you’re interested in going commercial!
HAPPY HOPPING!!
Simple Hops Beer
- Place 2 oz hops in 2 qts. hot water for 15 minutes.
- 过滤并溶解1磅糖在液体中。
- Add 4 qts. cold water.
- Allow to stand for 12 hours in a warm place and it should be ready to bottle.
我每次只做足够的东西,以备不时之需。我们用这个来盐水清洗陈年奶酪。
Simple Hops Yeast:
- Place hops in a container (usually a handful is suggested for these old recipes).
- 向上面浇水,直到2/3被盖住。煮沸,煮沸2-3分钟,足够提取啤酒花的“精华”。
- 沥干液体,趁它还热,搅拌到液体玉米粉足够浓稠。
- 将混合物铺在布或板上,然后晾干。注意:不要让混合物发霉!!
它被切成“蛋糕”,用于烘焙。同样,我们建议小批量。确保安全新鲜!
Have you tried growing hops? Tell us about it in the comments!
Susan Tipton-Fox, along with husband Alan Fox, continues the farming and preserving practices passed down to her by her family. She presents on-farm workshops in Yancey County, North Carolina, and “workshop stays” on the farm. Follow her on Facebook:The Mushroom Hut @ Fox Farms. We’re delighted that she decided to share her knowledge about small-scale hops farming with us.
苏珊·蒂普顿-福克斯把啤酒花带回了她的地区。在这里,她分享了她在小规模种植啤酒花方面的心得。
All images provided by Susan Tipton-Fox
Marlene Affeldsays
Great article: well written and very informative. I learned a lot about hops including its use as yeast for baking. I look forward to future posts.