Centennial Hops Ready for Harvest??

EricS · 08-11-2008, 01:28 AM

I checked out my hops plants yesterday and noticed they were starting to brown, some were already totally brown. So today I decided to pick them, the odd thing is most of them are not even full size. I was afraid that if I didn't I would lose them all to turning brown. These are first year plants so I wasn't expecting much, but is this to early is something wrong with them??

Also how long can I keep them without drying them if I vacuum seal and then refrigerate? I have a food dehydrator that I can use; I just have to go get it at my FILs house.

As soon as I get a chance I will post some picks.

devaspawn · 08-11-2008, 03:42 AM

if the leaves feel somewhat papery they are ready to pick. I know a couple of people that have already picked some of their first season hops so I don't think it's too early to expect to have some of them ready. I don't know how long you can keep them undried but it's at least a couple of days. I would freeze them if I were you if it will be longer than that or at least refrigerate them.

**Nightbiker** · 07-06-2009, 01:21 AM

I know its an old thread, but I could sure use some advice. My cascades (all my vines are first-year) have some browning on the tips of the petals of the cones. Have to get a photo tomorrow and post it -I wasn't expecting to have to pick them until late august or early september -but its been hot as hell here in Florida, and add the humidity and quite a bit of rain to the mix, I wonder if they just came along earlier than expected (PERHAPS I will get 2 harvests out of them? It won't get cool or cold around here until late october to early november).
I have 4 mt. hood vines that look pretty good (one vine was stunted when I accidentally damaged it early in its' growing period, its sending off side shoots and the main vine is thick, but short is short and thems' the breaks) 3 cascades, and 2 williamettes (the williamettes evidently just don't like this climate -these two vines have just looked stunted and kind of sickly from the start -I tried adding wood ash because I thought it was an iron deficiency, but there really was no reason to believe this -all the vines are in 20gal. buckets with good drainage, and the buckets were filled with potting soil, topped with cypress mulch, and while the soil was pre-fertilized, I added a good general fertilizer balance 2 weeks ago, and before that was a weaker liquid fertilizer mix. The granular fertilizer was added when the buds appeared and began to form into the first cones -so I felt comfortable adding a little then as the vine was entering a different growth phase.

-----
Greets out to those of you I know, who missed me for a while -been working through some heart issues so the brewery has been down for a while (too doggone hot for me to spend any length of time outside to solder and assemble the rig, and I can only get so much done indoors before the wifes' tolerance levels begin to peak and I get reminded that this is an 'outside' project).
Expecting to take a few days next weekend and finish this thing, run some sanitizers and boiling water through to check the fittings and clean it, and then I have some SERIOUS brewing to do!

**cuinrearview** · 07-06-2009, 03:46 AM

I would think that it's possible that you could harvest some cones as far south as you are. I also think that it's possible that your plants could be lacking water, being in containers. From what I've read it doesn't take much in hot climates to bake these plants. Pull a cone off and split it. If the lupulin glands are deep yellow to gold and smell like the varieties smell you'll probably be good to go. Another way to tell is to flick a cone; if it comes off it's time to dry them.

JarrodH · 07-06-2009, 06:06 AM

The above poster provided good advice. My first year cascade just gave me about 12 cones that were ripe and ready to go. Plenty more in the making, but it looked like my Cascade was ready to give me cones early.