What Are Hops Used For?

What Are Hops Used For? It is also known as Common hop (Humulus lupulus), English hop, and European hop. It belongs to the Cannabaceae (hemp family).

Description?

• Hops are ornamental, perennial vines that can reach heights of 3 to 10 meters (10 to 33 feet). It makes a delightfully decorative, shady arbor cover in any garden in the Northern Hemisphere.

• There is a rapid growth rate in plants, sometimes up to 15 cm (6 inches) in 24 hours.

• Twining vines have double-hooked hairs that resemble miniature grappling hooks. In addition to keeping vines attached to trellises, arbors, and posts, these hairs also prevent them from falling off.

• The heart-shaped, deeply lobed, dark green leaves are opposite and deeply lobed.

• A thick, fleshy perennial root replaces the annual aboveground stem each year after it is killed by frost.

• Male flowers are found on some plants, while female flowers are found on others. Female flowers appear in clusters (cones) from mid- to late summer, while yellowish-green male flowers grow in loose bunches. A male plant nearby will fertilize a female flower, resulting in seeds in the cones. Beer is made from hop cones (whether or not they contain seeds). Hops are characterized by their distinctive aromatic and bitter flavor thanks to their resinous acorns containing yellow-orange powder called lupulin.

• Plants of the hop family are easy to grow. Their lifespan can reach 50 years once they are established.

  

Cultivation:

1. It grows best in deep sandy or gravelly soil that is rich in nutrients and well-drained. The pH range should be between 6.5 and 7.0.

2. Sunlight is preferred, but it can tolerate light shade as well. The vine grows so that its leaves receive the maximum amount of light possible. During the growing season, make sure the vines are well watered.

3. Hop plants can be grown from seeds, but they are typically propagated from root cuttings that produce female flowers. Cuts can be found in local nurseries and garden catalogs.

4. Plants will climb more easily if they are provided with a sturdy trellis. It may be necessary to train the twining stems by hand in the early summer.

5. There is a risk of viruses and several fungus diseases, particularly downy mildew, and of spider mites and insects, including flea beetles, vine borers, and aphids. Insects and mites can be controlled by spraying if necessary. If your plants are infected with fungus or viruses, you may have to destroy them and start over somewhere else.

6. Overwintering outdoors is possible up to zone 3. A dormant period initiated by frost is necessary for hop plants to resume growth after surviving considerable cold. The amount of snow cover in very cold regions helps reduce the amount of winterkill.

Harvesting: 

• Late summer or early fall is the best time to harvest the ripe cones. Bronze-colored, slightly open cones indicate that they are ripe when they are bronze-colored.

• The chemical valeric acid that hops produce at room temperature loses their effectiveness. If you are storing hops for a long time, you should store them in the cold (a refrigerator is fine) and away from oxygen. Make sure your hops are well-dried before putting them into a plastic bag to avoid exposure to oxygen. Expel as much air as possible from the bag before sealing it, but avoid crushing the hops.

• Pick the cones before they become ripe if you intend to use them as craft materials. It is impossible to preserve ripe cones because they shatter.

Utilizations: 

• As with asparagus, young hop shoots can be served as a side dish. It is best to boil the shoots for 2 to 3 minutes when they are between 5 and 10 cm (2 and 4 inches) long. The spears should then be steamed until tender after changing the water. Melt butter or cheese sauce can be served on the side. A delicacy is sometimes served with blanched hop spears in hop-growing areas of Europe.

• It is the resin in hop cones’ lupulin glands that gives beer its bitterness, regardless of whether it is made at home or in a brewery.

• It is used commercially as a flavoring agent for yeast, candy, ice cream, puddings, gelatins, baked goods, chewing gum, confectionery, and condiments.

• Wreaths and garlands can be decorated with dried cones.

Medicine Uses

• Hops have been used for centuries to treat insomnia and a variety of ailments. In over-the-counter herbal relaxants, hops are often incorporated because of their tranquilizing alcohol content.

• The bitterness of hops stimulates appetite and increases gastric juice production in modern European herbal medicine.

Precautions:

• The sedative effect of hops may actually exacerbate depression symptoms in people who suffer from it.

• You should wear gloves when you remove the dead vines in the fall because the small grappling hooks that hop stems used to anchor to a trellis can irritate the skin.

• As hops have an anti-contractive effect, you should avoid excessive amounts if you are pregnant.

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