by New England Gardener

In troubled times, a beverage which helps you relax or go to sleep is a valuable thing. Hops are also used in beer making. The long vines come up every year from the root stock, and require little care. We dug ours near an old cellar hole we found in the woods, but you should be able to get the root from a nursery.

Hops grow as a climbing vine, and need the support of a trellis or tall poles. We grow ours on a tripod of three eight foot poles, tied together near the top like a teepee. Deer like them very well too, so you may need to protect them with fencing. Pods will form on the plant, with loose, fluffy green petals. That is the part you harvest, not the leaves. Keep an eye on the pods, and pick them when they start to dry out, before they fall off.

Here is what the hops look like at harvest time. The vigorous growth has hidden the poles supporting the plant. The pods are a pale green color, and a single layer of them are being put in the tray for further drying.

We gather the pods into a shallow card board box, and dry them in the sun on good days. Stir them occasionally, so the sun and dry air get to all sides of them. Make sure you bring them in before the dew falls, to an airy room or porch. Here in often cloudy or rainy New England, it may take a week or more to get them 'paper dry'. That is dry to the touch, and so they crinkle. Then they will store indefinitely, in a cloth or paper bag to keep dust and sunlight off them.

The drying hops are shown on the left, in the simple cardboard tray, which is easy to move. On the right, is a newspaper lined tray with flower seeds drying in it, and below that are larger flower seed pods, drying on a paper towel covered plate. You don't need fancy equipment to dry seeds!

To make a tea, fill a cup or pot of the way with loose pods, and pour boiling water over them to the top. Let it steep for 15 minutes, and strain. This will make a tea that will really help you relax quickly, so drink it just before lying down. Weaker teas can be made as a regular beverage, and it also combines well with mint for a refreshing after dinner tea.

The still green colored hops are now dry enough to store in the cloth bag shown here, or in a paper bag. They will turn brown as they age longer.