hop to it 1 2 3

I spotted beer hops in three locations on Tuesday afternoon, two of them just outside my back door. In the fall the vigorous vines will put on quite the show, and the ripe cones will smell delicious when rubbed between one's palms or used in a lovely brew (Labatts should give them a try).

["The second fence is thoroughly covered with healthy hops"]

One. A neighbour two doors down has a side fence covered with thick, deeply coloured hops. And from his side of the fence, upon closer inspection, I could see hop cones bursting with life and vitality. The glassful of his brown ale wasn't bad either!

[Soon I'll see thousands of thumb-size hop cones]

["The cones will slowly turn to a golden brown"]

Two. My own lonely hop strands (below) are almost completely hidden by ferns but they'll one day run along the length of the fence rail.

Three. While riding through Harris Park on Tuesday I noticed that someone has planted bean and hop vines - likely commando style - at the base of several light standards on the east side of the Thames River. Thumbs up, I say. And next time I'm on my bike I'll carry a camera and look for a fourth location. I'm sure it's out there.

Photos by GH 

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