Louis-Philippe Véronneau - hopshttps://veronneau.org/2018-10-15T00:00:00-04:00A Good Harvest of the Devil's Lettuce2018-10-15T00:00:00-04:002018-10-15T00:00:00-04:00Louis-Philippe Véronneautag:veronneau.org,2018-10-15:/a-good-harvest-of-the-devils-lettuce.html<p><img src="/media/blog/2018-10-15/ready_to_dry.jpg" title="Hop cones layed out for drying" alt="Hop cones layed out for drying" height="30%" width="30%" style="float:right"></p>
<p>You might have heard that Canada's legalising marijuana in 2 days. Even though
I think it's a pretty good idea, this post is not about pot, but about another
type of Devil's Lettuce: hops.</p>
<p>As we all know, homebrewing beer is a gateway into growing hops, a highly
suspicious activity …</p><p><img src="/media/blog/2018-10-15/ready_to_dry.jpg" title="Hop cones layed out for drying" alt="Hop cones layed out for drying" height="30%" width="30%" style="float:right"></p>
<p>You might have heard that Canada's legalising marijuana in 2 days. Even though
I think it's a pretty good idea, this post is not about pot, but about another
type of Devil's Lettuce: hops.</p>
<p>As we all know, homebrewing beer is a gateway into growing hops, a highly
suspicious activity that attracts only marginals and deviants. Happy to say I've
been successfully growing hops for two years now and this year's harvest has
been bountiful.</p>
<p>Two years ago, I planted two hops plants, one chinook and one triple pearl. A
year prior to this I had tried to grow a cascade plant in a container on my
balcony, but it didn't work out well. This time I got around to plant the
rhizomes in the ground under my balcony and had the bines grow on ropes.</p>
<p>Although I've been having trouble with the triple pearl (the soil where I live
is thick and heavy clay - not the best for hops), the chinook has been growing
pretty well.</p>
<p><img src="/media/blog/2018-10-15/on_the_bines.jpg" title="Closeup of my chinook hops on the bines" alt="Closeup of my chinook hops on the bines" height="30%" width="30%" style="float:right"></p>
<p>Harvest time is always fun and before taking the bines down, I didn't know how
much cones I would get this year. I'd say compared to last year, I tripled my
yield. With some luck (and better soil), I should be able to get my triple pearl
to produce cones next year.</p>
<p>Here a nice poem about the usefulness of hops written by Thomas Tusser in 1557:</p>
<pre>
The hop for his profit I thus do exalt,
It strengtheneth drink and it flavoureth malt;
And being well-brewed long kept it will last,
And drawing abide, if ye draw not too fast.
</pre>
<p>So remember kids, don't drink and upload and if you decide to grow some of the
Devil's Lettuce, make sure you use it to <em>flavoureth malt</em> and not your joint.
The ones waging war on drugs might not like it.</p>