New grower, asking harvesting and drying advice

[BlackForkHops]

I have an old variety that we moved from growing up our old barn to a flower bed by the house to see if we could utilize and save it. This is the third year at this location and we had it analyzed to find out that it is Mid/Late Cluster. So I did harvest that sample a little early according to AARLab…
I wanted another 7-10 days and finished harvesting. I dried half on screens and half in an outdoor hanging herb dryer. What I’d like to know is…do these cones look right? I am totally new at this so need some expert eye to take a look. I did give the lupulin a taste and the bitter has stayed on my tongue for about 30 minutes.
Oh, and I didn’t realize I should have weighed the wet cones before drying so I have no idea what the moisture content is.
I’d just like some advice if anyone has anything helpful to say! Thanks!
BFH
Pictures: Wet vs. Dry

 

[CascadesBrewer]

It is hard to tell with just a picture, but the Wet cones in your picture look a bit young to me (though I have only been growing hops for a few years). Your dried cones look about how I would expect dried cones to look like. One year I packed my dried cones into Ziploc bags (then used them a few months later). Last year I picked up a vacuum sealer (and just used the hops in a batch yesterday).

 

[BlackForkHops]

It is hard to tell with just a picture, but the Wet cones in your picture look a bit young to me (though I have only been growing hops for a few years). Your dried cones look about how I would expect dried cones to look like. One year I packed my dried cones into Ziploc bags (then used them a few months later). Last year I picked up a vacuum sealer (and just used the hops in a batch yesterday).

Thanks so much for your reply! Yes, I am sure I harvested a bit too early. I’m glad to hear that the dry ones at least ‘look’ right. Thanks again!

 

[capt82]

I dried half on screens and half in an outdoor hanging herb dryer.

Hops drying used to be a problem for me. Too many hops, not enough space. Check out this oast I made out of cardboard and cheap air filters. The box was from a recliner. I fold the box when not in use. The base was made from 2 x 2's and I put small casters on it to roll around and to create an airspace. I used the cardboard corners that reinforce the corners of the box during shipping for both the spacers and the top to hold the fan. The box is sized at 20" X 20". The filters are 20" X 20". The fan is 20" X 20". The carboard corners I use for spacers can be cut to whatever lengths you need. 3"-6" is best for me.

To use, simply unfold the box. Screw it to the 2 x 2 base. Place a filter in the box flat on the bottom against the base. You can place up to 1lb of wet hops on each filter. After placing hops on first filter, place 4 carboard spacers vertical in each corner then add another filter. Fill it up with more hops and so on. The when all filled up, I placed the cardboard frame over the top of the box to hold the fan. The fan faces up so it pulls a draft through the box, filters, and hops. My oast is about 3' tall. I can fit all of my 16lbs of wet hops in it at one time. It goes in my garage which is about 65*F and dark. It would be more efficient to only place about 1/2lb of wet hops on each tray, but I have so may this year. The filters are about $5 for a pack of 4 which have been my only cost to build this.

 

[BlackForkHops]

Hops drying used to be a problem for me. Too many hops, not enough space. Check out this oast I made out of cardboard and cheap air filters.

That is so clever! Thank you for the idea.

 

[capt82]

That is so clever! Thank you for the idea.

Someone asked for more info on another forum. Not sure if anyone is interested but here is more info if so. I'm sure someone else can do better with the idea but this is cheap, easy, and practical for a home grower of a few plants.

Here are those pics of my oast:
pic1... whole thing ready to store.
pic2... I used cardboard packing material (corners) but 2 x 2's can be used instead to make the base
pic3... The box slides on to the base. I put a screw on each corner of the box, (with a fender washer) into the base to hold it up.
pic4... I used the cardboard corners again to create a top frame that slides over the box after the hops are loaded. I used hot glue on the corners. This top holds the 20" box fan. A frame can be made with 2 x 2's to slide into the box and screwed with 4 screws.
pic5... I stacked the filters on the outside so you can see how it would stack in the box. Again I used cardboard corners to make spacers about 2-4" tall. 2 x 2's can also be used. Once the first filter is placed in the box, you can place about 1/2 to 1lb of wet hops on it. Place another set of spacers (on end) in each corner and stack another filter...and so on.
pic6... I placed the 20" box fan on the top frame, blowing upward. This draws air from the bottom. The filters slide in tight in the box, drawing the air through them and the hops for two days in my 60*F garage and its all dry.

One important thing to note is the inside measurement of all four sides of the box needs to be 20". Buy the filters first so you can make sure it is built to the right size.

This oast can be made as tall as you want to hold as much as you want. My oast is 36" and is just about the tallest I can reach into to fill/empty the bottom filter. It's very light weight, cheap to build, holds a lot, and takes little space to store until next year. I'm sure you can modify this idea to make a better one. Have fun!

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[day_trippr]

I see it had a recliner inside, but the molded paperboard L-girders and the wooden slats also look like parts from a dishwasher carton - something I was recently familiarized with. Clever use of same

Cheers!