Last night, we were at our friends' house near Friendly Center and, upon leaving, noticed that they have a hops plant trellised in their back yard. Hops have been cultivated in what is now Germany since the 700's. Used for making beer and its citrusy, bitter, aromatic flavoring at one time was considered a wicked and pernicious weed. See HERE to read the Wikipedia site about hops. The NC State Extension Service can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about hops (see HERE). With all of the craft brewing in North Carolina, these has even been a hops project, helping find cultivars that are most conducive to being grown in North Carolina. Our state has come a long way in knowing the best growing practices for our area. Greensboro has a rich history of breweries. Triad Homebrew has been around for over a decade. While Greensboro has a rich history of brewing beer, it is still fun to see a hops plant thriving in someone's yard. Do you see the hops flowers in the middle of the photo?
Hops bines (not vines) can grow up to 12" a day and only the female plant produces the hops cones. There are about 80 hops farms in North Carolina, or 4% of American production.* Our friends do not have a hops farm in the city, but we do want to go back and ask them if they harvest their hops. The United States has surpassed Germany in worldwide hops production. While the ideal climate seems to be in the Pacific Northwest, it appears that we are making headway in North Carolina. Even if you don't drink beer or harvest the plant, it seems like it can be a nice alternative to kudzu!
Happy Saturday!
* reference and more information, here.
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