Havesting hops

[Bongofury]

I have a Chinook growing in my yard and the hops are looking pretty... "full". (What is a ripe hop called? Ripe I guess.) So now what do I do?

Do I need to dry them? Should I freeze them first? How can I tell if its ready to pick?

And yes I need to ask how many people have tried smoking them?

 

[Chriso]

We have a Hops Growing forum, just for questions like yours. Don't repost/duplicate post this yet, a mod will probably move it over there for you.

Nice user name, btw.

 

[TimMcTigue]

When hops are ripe, they'll look and feel somewhat dry and springy, and papery to the touch. They won't be succulent at all... well, maybe a little. They'll also have yellow powder between the "leaves" of the cones, and if you crush one, you'll notice that nice, hoppy aroma. That's how you know when they're ready to pick. When you pick them, you need to dry them. 2-3 days spread out on a screen door in a hot garage or attic should do the trick. When they're dry enough, they will feel quite dry and almost crumbly. Dry hops are about 1/5 - 1/4 of their original weight. When they're dried properly, I use a length of 1-1/2" ID PVC pipe and a piece of large wooden dowel (from a closet rod) to press them into 1oz plugs, wrap them in plastic wrap and tinfoil, and put them in the freezer in a ziploc bag.

Tim