Armageddon Now



Before



After

Armageddon has hit the yard!  Fred decided to trim up the trees and we had agreed about taking out a few shrubs.  Well the guys got carried away and took out some more shrubs and then trimmed some (that should not have been trimmed).  So I finally decided to do the sensible thing, and really the only option left  - which was rip out more stuff.  No time like the present to redesign the entire yard. 


So now the redesign begins, which actually is a good thing.  I can take all my favorite elements from Gertrude Jekyll, Piet Oudolf, John Brookes and my love of more formal gardens and blend that in.  I will also be selecting my favorite plants and featuring those.  It was a little distressing weaning myself from my hodgepodge of plants - I am a bit of a rat-pack when it comes to my garden.  But the new scheme should provide some eyerest and tranquility, while adding some much needed outdoor living space.

Tear Out Complete

As the plan comes together I will be posting progress photos for you to see.

Hops

Nugget Hops

This is the final day of our annual hop harvest.  I thought I would share some photos with you to show what happens to all those vines that make such great decorations for fall.

Hops suspended from majestic heights, cascading down like a chartreuse waterfall.

Molly

Alex

Hops are a perennial crop grown in "yards" that are trellised from 13-15' high. There are several well known hop growing regions around the world, but in the U.S. hops are primarily grown in the Willamette Valley & Yakima Valley.  Hop production is limited to about 50 families - so it is a small community.

Wagons come in from the fields, where the hops are hung up as they wait their turn to be picked.



Drying Floors



Hops moving along a conveyor.

 Hop harvest runs 24/7 at most farms with a day and night crew. At our farm, the picker and the hop house (dryer) are right at our house - so there is a hum of activity day and night.  It is actually a little melancholy when we are done and everything is shut off - so silent and still by contrast.

 

When they are dry, the hops get baled up in 200# bales and shipped off to brokers and eventually brewers to make all those tasty beers that we love.

 

We hope you enjoy that harvest feeling everytime you see our hop garlands or visit with friends over a pint.