Multiple harvests... Drying or what?

My first year Cascade has some cones that are ready, but not enough to brew a batch of beer.

What do most people do, dry them as they are ready until they have enough? Leave them and harvest when you have the most ready at a time? Looking for what others have done.

I generally harvest the lot of them and some will be under ripe but there is no good way of picking just the ones that are ready. I just cut about 1/3 of a bine off starting at the bottom and after I've picked the flowers from that, cut the next 1/3 until I have the whole thing cut down.

First year you might be able to pick and choose, but my bines are too short at about 14 feet and so thick that I'm not about to stand on an extension ladder picking for hours.

It seems early. Are you sure they are ready? I'm not sure how soon you'd pick in that part of the country. Mine are usually just starting to have some flowers turning brown on the tips. Peel them back and look at the glands and see what color yellow they are. Flowers should start to feel papery, not green and cool.

What Homercidal said......

I cut off a lenth of bine bring it back to the porch in the shade with a pint of beer....pick the cones will listening to sports radio.....
I usually start my harvest the last week of August.......