Construct your Hops Garden

Well, our hops are sending out shoots and that means that we need to trellis them FAST!!!  There are a lot of different ways to do it (which I'll share in another post), but I wanted to share how Eric is building our hop garden out of old plumbing pipes we used for another home improvement project.

He started with a 14ft pipe that he hammered into the ground.  This pipe is the main pipe that all of our coconut rope runs from/through.  From there, he has created a 'spider web' from which all 11 plants will run up! It's a fairly simple project that takes all of 2 hours to create.  Below are our pictures of the re-useable pipes.  Scroll down to the bottom to see how it held up as the hops grew!  I'm impressed!

A Great Day at Rogue Farms

I must say, I am falling in love with Oregon. It's beautiful country and the people are super friendly! The food is amazing! I ordered a side salad expecting iceberg lettuce with carrots and tomatoes, but instead received a bed of fresh mixed greens with beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, croutons, corn, and carrots! Then when I ordered milk for the kids, the server asked, "Cow or soy?" "One of each!" I responded as my lactose intolerant daughter beamed because no restaurant EVER has soy milk! I can go on and on about how awesome Oregon is (there are gas attendants that pump your gas. I mean they tell you to get back in your vehicle if you try to pump your own!), and I just did!!! The day kept getting better. We then went to Rogue Farm in Independence, OR. Basically, everything they grow is what they put into their beers.  We were greeted with acres of hops fields. As you enter the actual farm, there is a tasting room on your left that offers food with a kids menu.There are picnic tables that line the perimeter of lawn where you are welcome to play corn-hole, frisbee, giant chests, or giant scrabble! You can take a tour with an employee or walk around yourselves (just make sure you don't go into any areas that say Employees Only). We spent a good two hours there and would have stayed longer had the heat not gotten to us! So the next time you are in Oregon, stop at Rogue Farms! It's a very chill, family beer environment!

The Drinking Habits of Our Founding Fathers

As we all know, beer was safer to drink during colonial times than water was.  And it was a major dietary staple from the cradle to the grave.  Infants were fed it, and it was recommended to breast feeding mothers.  In the formative colonial years, beer was brewed at home and most households built a brewroom on the side of their house.  Hops grew wild in the forests around the towns, which was a huge plus for these homebrewers.  As currency was established in the colonies and trade was possible with England, taverns began to pop up.  Taverns were not just a place to get a drink, but to socialize and hold meetings.  The tavern actually became one of the most important meeting places a town could have.  And, many of the constitutional ideas were formed in taverns. (As we know, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.  But did you know that he wrote it while drinking Madeira at his usual table in the Indian Queen Tavern in Philadelphia?)

But how do we really know that the founding fathers as a group drank a lot?  Well, believe it or not, there are records of their shenanigans.  In 1787, two days before they signed the Constitution, the 55 delegates to the convention went to a local tavern. According to the bill, they drank 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 whiskeys, 22 porters, eight hard ciders, 12 bottles of beer and 7 bowls of alcoholic punch.  They did have a reason to celebrate!!  And keep in mind, that may seem like a lot, but the average American at the time drank many more the times as Americans of today do. Getting drunk, but not losing control, was much more acceptable than it is today.

So there you have it!  As we celebrate our nation, don't forget to drink a beer ...  it's a tradition!

(Handbrewed Soaps is NOT endorsing getting drunk, just to celebrate... responsibly!)

References:

http://www.northamericanbrewers.org/brewingcolonial.html
http://www.drunkard.com/issues/56/56-founding-drunkards.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stanton-peele/alcohol-addiction-were-th_b_610598.html

Cooking with Hops: A Hops Shoot Frittata

(Note:  I am not a chef.  I love reading recipes and coming up with my own. I cook what I know my family will eat!  I also eyeball everything…  exact measurements aren’t my forte.  And I use what I have.  Oftentimes I look in my fridge and throw something together or substitute ingredients because I don’t have what a recipe calls for.  As a result, my meals always come out a little different each time I make them! Please let me know what you think…  if I need to add or take away!  I’m learning too!!)
Fun Fact:  Did you know that hops are one of the most expensive vegetables in the world?  And I got 10 different varieties growing in my backyard!!!! (Yea, for me!) 
Recently I came across an article that explained that you can eat hop shoots.  So I thought, why not?  The stems themselves are described in the same way as asparagus and have even being mentioned by Pliny that they were eaten during the height of Roman reign.  So I've decided to saute them in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and add them to a frittata. If you are interested in actually using the hop flower (what is used in beer) experts say to use them as a seasoning, where you would traditionally use rosemary, thyme, oregano and marjoram.  
Saute instructions:
1) Trim leaves off of stems.  (Apparently you can cook with them too, but I'm leaving them out of this one!)
2) Saute you stems in Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt and Pepper
3) Add them to your frittata or egg dish.

And the verdict is:

  

DIy Growing Hops Part Two: Preparing the Soil

There are many things to factor in when you are planting your hops including placement, soil, and watering routine. Again, I have left this to the brew master in our family to outline this for you! 

Choosing the location:

South-facing, with 6-8 hours of sunlight per day

What kind of soil and nutrients do hops need?

In his book, “Homegrown Hops,” author and fellow hops-grower David Beach shared his discovery about soil amendments in the famous Willamette Valley hops growing region in Oregon.   This was the ”correct” fertilizer blend used on one particular hop farm:  (blends and supplements will vary, depending on the original soil conditions)

(amounts are in pounds per acre)

Step One:  Dig a hole

Nitrogen - 90

Phosphorous – 200  (organic source:  wood ash)

Potassium – 190  (organic source:  rock phosphate)

sulfur - 50

boron – 3

Based on this information, and various other sources I read, here the custom soil blend I created, using soil mizes from American Soil and Stone in Richmond, CA:

• ·      3 gallons Ultra-Potting mix (Coconut Coir, Sand, Red Lava, Dolomite Lime, Nitroform 38-0-0, Iron Sulfate, Triple Superphosphate, Calcium Nitrate)
• ·      3 gallons Ultra-Bedding soil blend  (Coconut Coir, Greenwaste Compost, Rice Hulls, Chicken Manure, Grape Compost, Red Lava, Sandy Loam)
• ·      2 gallons veggie mix (Sandy Loam, Greenwaste Compost, Rice Hulls, Chicken Manure, Grape Compost, Fir Bark, Cocoa Bean Hulls)
• ·      1 handful of wood ash (pot ash)
• ·      1 pinch (1/2 teaspoon) borax
• ·      straw mulch – a 2-3 inch layer on top, surrounded by ¾” fir bark mulch, to minimize weeds and retain moisture.

Step Two:  Fill hole with soil

The ultra potting mix (nitroform) and veggie mix (chicken manure) are both very high in nitrogen, which hops don’t really need a lot of.  What hops really need are the OTHER 2 elements in the standard N-P-K formula for fertilizers:  phosphorous and potassium.  Two other lesser-known nutrients that the hops also need:  molybdenum, and boron.   In order to get these nutrients in the soil, I added a handful of wood ash to the top of each hop hill, and a pinch (1/2 teaspoon) of borax.  Although, I’m slightly concerned that the Potting soil blend has a mixture of fertilizers in it, and the borax I added to the soil might not even be accessible to the hops.  I won’t be able to tell until the plant starts to grow, and I see what potential issues I have by looking at the leaves and hop cones, and can troubleshoot from there.  But, hopefully, I have created a happy place for my hops plants to start growing and start providing me with free hops for my homebrew for the next 5-10 years!!!

Step Three: Add Ash and Straw

One thing is for sure:  this blend drains VERY well!!!  After creating the “hills” for each rhizome, I poured water from a garden hose directly into each hop hill for 2 solid minutes, and the water disappeared immediately, which is perfect, because the soil need to constantly be damp, but not saturated.  As with most other plants, standing water is not good.  So, at least for drainage and water retention, this blend is outstanding!

Did you know?

In doing my research about growing hops, I discovered how important boron is, not only for growing hops plants but for the human body as well.  Some people swear by the use of boron as a dietary supplement to counteract the effects of arthritis.  Apparently, it either works way too well or is actually toxic, because the major pharmaceutical companies deny that it does anything and won’t allow clinical trials to find out if it actually does what people claim it does.  Either way, boron is an important nutrient for hops AND the human body, and it doesn’t get absorbed effectively in either situation when artifical/synthetic fertilizers are present, which emphasizes the importance of using and consuming organic food and soils that don’t have synthetic fertilizers in them. 

Next step:  Plant the rhizomes and hope they grow!

DIY Growing Hops Part 1: Purchasing Hops

Recently we have given our backyard a makeover.  It has all of our family entertainment needs, complete with a brewhouse, a soap studio, a play structure, a garden, and soon to come: a fire pit. We have also dedicated several area of the yard to grow hops for our homebrewed beer and handbrewed soaps.

In order to grow hops, you need to plant the rhizome, which is a cutting of the plant's root structure.  There are many different companies that sell hops rhizomes in the spring.  For our hops-growing adventure, we chose ten different varieties from three different farms/cooperatives.   Each has their own speciality and packaging techniques.  I will turn this post over to the master brewer in the family to explain each.

Where to start?
You can get a lot of information online, of course, but Homebrewer's Garden by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher, and Homegrown Hops by David R. Beach provide great information that's not available online.  I started there to get an idea about what all was going to be involved with growing hops.  These resources are a great place to start if you're interested in growing hops.  Important thing to remember:   Hops rhizomes are only available in the spring, from February to April.  So, if you want to grow hops, make sure you plan ahead, and maybe even pre-order your rhizomes, to make sure you get the varieties you want to grow.

Top bags: Freshops, Middle bags: Hops Direct
Bottom Bags: Seven Bridges Coop.

Where to buy the hops rhizomes?
I wanted to buy direct from the hops farms, if possible.  There are many different companies that sell hops rhizomes in the spring.  Choose the one that best meets your needs (location, varieties offered, etc.)  After doing my research, I decided on three different companies from three different growing regions to see how well different varieties adapt to my Bay-Area micro-climate in the Glenview District of Oakland, CA.  (Get Local!)
Freshops - Hop farm in the Willamette Valley (Philomath, Oregon)
Hops Direct - Puterbaugh Farms, a 700-acre, fourth generation, family-owned hop farm in the Yakima Valley (Mabton, Washington)
Seven Bridges Cooperative in Santa Cruz, CA - I chose this company because the rhizomes that they sell are from organic plants grown in California!

What varieties should I grow?
Criteria:  Hops that were recommended for our Bay Area temperature and micro-climate; varieties that grow fairly easily and aren't susceptible to pests and diseases; a blend of bittering hops and dual-purpose (flavor/aroma/bittering).  I purchased 3-4 varieties from each company.  I tripled up on Cascade, knowing that I wanted a large supply of Cascade hops for my IPA's, and I wanted to see whose Cascade rhizome.  Final order:
Freshops:  Goldings, Willamette, Cascade, Chinook
Seven Bridges Cooperative:  Columbus, Magnum, Cascade, Nugget
Hops Direct:  Centennial, Cluster, Cascade

What kind of soil do hops need?
As for the soil, we made a special trip to American Soil and Stone in Richmond, CA-- a favorite local company of ours-- to see if they could help us put together a soil blend that would work best for our hops.  After reading and researching online, I explained to the staff at American Soil and Stone what I was looking for.  They recommended several of their different soil blends, and we decided on a mix of 1/3 ultra potting mix, 1/3 ultra bedding mix, and 1/3 local veggie blend.  Some of the plants are going to be grown in raised planters, so I needed a medium that would maintain water, but also be good to drain water.  This blend has both coconut coir and red lava.  For nutrient needs, the local veggie blend has chicken manure, which is amazing as a short-term, quick-release fertilizer, and the ultra potting mix has a special long-term slow-release fertilizer in it.  The one thing that I'm lacking, that David R. Beach recommends is Boron.  He says that the necessary amount of Boron is a "pinch to the hill." I'm hoping that my special soil blend will get my hops plants off to a great start and provide me with wonderful, fresh hop cones for our homebrewed beer and handbrewed soaps!

Next step... building the planter boxes and planting the rhizomes.