Cooking with hop sprouts

[ArcaneXor]

Please forgive me if this is common knowledge or has previously been discussed - I don't grow my own hops and don't frequent this forum. Since a quick search didn't yield any results, I thought this would be interesting:

I came across an article on the web site of a German magazine this morning that describes how extra hop sprouts are harvested between mid-March and mid-April by some of the smaller-scale hop growers in the Hallertau and sold as a gourmet vegetable, comparable to asparagus and described as having a distinct earthy-nutty taste.

Here are some nice images, and there are some simple recipes (in German)here, which can probably be translated with some of the online tools out there on the interwebs.

 

[david_42]

You can also buy them pickled.

 

[SOB]

Interesting...they look like a cross between bean sprouts and asparagus. I might try rolling them in olive oil, sprinkling with S&P and toss on the grill for a few minutes.

 

[Castawayales]

A link to using hops in cooking:

Hop Sprouts, All About Vegetables on the Worldwide Gourmet

It's on my spring to do list. I will probably be dining alone.