HOPS and WHO KNEW DRINKING BEER COULD PROVIDE SO MUCH JOY!

Over 25 years ago, while walking in the woods on our property, we stumbled across HOPS.
This area in Upstate New York State was a region teaming with hop farms.
Not only were there large Hop Farms in this area, hops were grown by individual settlers of this region for personal use.
The hops that we found were located next to an old stone foundation to a house that was built back in the mid eighteen hundreds.

After several years of transplanting and cultivating these hop rhizomes, we had established a canopy of hops. In addition to this canopy, we had also suspended two other guide lines for the hops to climb on.

Here are some pics showing the fruits of our labor.

This is a picture of the hop canopy from the side.

The hop canopy provided us with so much pleasure.
Its sheer beauty was breathtaking.
Many days we would spend time sitting in the shade under the canopy.
Needless to say, we started brewing our own beer, and we have been brewing ever since.

Harvesting the hops in late August was always an exciting time, and required all hands on deck.

With family and friends plucking the flowers from the vines, it takes about four days to complete the harvest.

Family time was at its best.

Much care was needed to maintain such a healthy plant. The leaves at the bottom of the vine would be removed to allow a good flow of air through the massive collection of vines and hops.

What a perfect little flower.

With all of the hops picked it was time to dry them in the oast I made.

Drying temperature should never exceed 140 degrees.

Once dried properly, the hops will turn a golden color, and they will be ready for packaging. By vacuum sealing the hop flowers, and freezing, they will stay good for over a year.

Over the years the hop gardens have taken a hit. Maintaining the hop beds required more time than we had.

Being retired for several years now, this is the year we will put in the time to rejuvenate the hop beds to their former beauty. Blue Stone is found in abundance in this neck of the woods. The pieces you see here have been sinking into the ground for years and will be dug out to build the new walls.

The first step will be rebuilding the rock walls that have been gobbled up by mother Nature.

Providing the hops with a raised bed will require the walls to be about 12 inches high.

With the first section of walls built, the bed is filled with organic raised bed soil.

It is time to man the pick again. Determined to clear all of the vegetation from within the rock walls, let the fun begin.
Exercising while hobbitizing, it doesn't get any better than that.

Being that these beds were built 20 some years ago, the soil is rich and full of worms.

With the kids and grandchildren coming to the farm for an extended weekend for Memorial day, these babies will come in handy.

The last 10 feet of the left side of the former hop canopy will be used to grow our cucumbers.

Landscaping cloth is placed down before adding the soil. This is done to stop any weeds from invading this patch of garden.

With holes cut into the cloth, the roots of the cucumber plants should be able to penetrate the soil below the cloth.

Now that we have gotten the bed for the new hop rhizomes completed, it is time to harvest some roots for transplanting.

The roots from the hop rhizomes grow at an unbelievable rate. These roots have made their way to the adjacent potato bed.

The roots to the hop rhizomes should be pruned every 3 years or so. With this being standard practice, there is never a lack of these bountiful roots. As I pruned hundreds of the roots, I gathered but a fraction of the ones I was cutting.
The roots that I keep will be used to plant the left side of the canopy, which is the side that has been renewed.

Having selected nine rhizomes, they have been planted in their new home.

Being that these plants have been uprooted and transplanted, they will not grow as vigorously as their neighbors across the way.
For this year, a simple tepee looking structure, with twine suspended from it, will provide ample vertical support for this year's growth.
While the hop vines across the way may grow to 30 feet or more, the young transplants may only grow five feet .

With the other side of the canopy completed, our efforts now focus on getting the opposite side under control.
You can see in this picture just how many vines each rhizome spits out.
Each rhizome head should be cut back to 6 -8 viable vines.

With this being the situation, we need to start,

With the heads of the rhizomes paired down,

a blanket of hay is used as bedding.
The bedding will help the soil retain moisture.

Being that the hay is full of seeds, both grass and weeds, we always use bedding hay that is at least 2 years old.
Using freshly cut hay will cause havoc. The seed in the newly cut hay will be ready to germinate, and take over your garden.

The last step in this little project is to provide the vines with support as they climb to the heavens.
Securing the twine to the guide wires is always a little hairy, especially when you get to the ridge, which is about 18 feet in the air.
An 8 foot step ladder coupled with having some long arms gets the job done.
As @farm-mom always says, "wear your helmet". That is her way of letting me know to be safe.
You know, I like to hear that, her concerned with my well being, s--t I'm worth more dead than I am alive.
I knew she married me for my good looks and not my money.

Left side completed ✔
Since the new rhizomes will not be taking over the entire garden this year, there was ample room to plant some yellow and green squash between the hop plants.

Right side completed ✔, and just in time as some of the vines are already 5 feet tall.

Buy next year, both sides should be meeting in the middle, now won't that be nice.

Imagine if just a few of our politicians could behave like these hop vines.

Just a thought that flew into my head, you know, if they could meet in the middle.

Boy was it fun restoring a little piece of the farm.

Once again, we will need to call in the troops to help us bring in the harvest, kind of like the old days.

There was so much simple pleasure in sitting around with all of the family, and some good friends, shooting the breeze.

Quality time spent talking, laughing, eating, listening to music, loving, pitching in, and of course having a couple of cold ones.

It will be great to have another reason to all get together, maybe we'll make it a family tradition once again.

Hope you enjoyed! thebigsweed