First Grain/Extract

Just started my first Grain/Extract Beer. I'm hoping to make it a fruit porter. I have a few questions.

1) Some hops from the brew pot got into my primary. Is this going to be much of a problem?

2) The OG was quite a bit lower than I expected 1.035 compared to 1.055. Could this be because of the way I crushed my grain? I don't have a grain mill, so I used a rolling pin and crushed it between two layers of cheese cloth. Also I wasn't able to crush the crystal malt.

3) I'm planning to add my fruit to the secondary. How much is a good amount for a 5 gallon batch? 6-7 lbs?

Any and all comments are welcome

1 - Some hops sneaking into primary probably will not have too much of an effect.

2 - Yes, the way you crushed the grains could have something to do with it. Also, if you did a partial boil, when topping off, often times not properly mixing the wort with the water can give low grav readings.

3 - I have no idea, but I am making a fruit beer for the holidays soon so I wouldn't mind the answer myself!

Im sure someone with more experience will be able to answer these fully.

I'm with corvax on the low gravity thing. If you used top off water and didnt give it a gentle stir, your reading may have been "watered down."

no top off water, I just poured the boiled wort over the boiled, and cooled, water in the bucket

Water in the bucket before you pour the wort in is the same as pouring the wort and the adding the water.

You could still have had a poor mix, though I would say go beyond the "gentle stir" JebCkr suggests, and give it a good rough shake for a few minutes to be sure. This also helps aerate the wort for the yeast...

But re-reading your post, it sounds like the grains might be the more likely candidate - if they werent crushed enough, then not enough sugars were released, etc.

Again, someone with more experience will be able to guide you better.