If the hop plants in the garden have their typical umbel fruits, you might think about brewing beer yourself or harvesting the hop fruits for tea or medicinal purposes. When are hops ready to harvest and how are the fruits harvested?
When and how do you harvest hops in the garden?
The hop harvest usually takes place at the end of August or September. You can recognize ripe hop fruits by the yellow powder (lupullin) inside and the aromatic scent. Harvest the cones on dry days when they are still green and tightly closed, and then process or store them.
Only harvest female cones
If you want to use hops, you must grow female plants. Only these develop the fruits that contain lupullin. The yellow powder contains the sought-after active ingredients that make the beer foam or achieve the desired healing effect.
You can only see whether a plant is male or female when it flowers. Female hops form umbel flowers in which the hop fruit ripens. The flowers of male hops can be recognized by their long panicles.
Make sure you only grow female plants if you want to harvest hops. It is therefore better to buy the plants from specialist retailers (€10.00 on Amazon). In beer brewing areas, the breeding of male hop plants is even prohibited.
When is the harvest time for hops?
The harvest time for hops depends on the weather and the location. This usually happens at the end of August or September.
How to tell if hops are ripe
- Open fruit
- yellow powder (lupullin) inside
- aromatic scent
It is not possible to tell from the outside whether a hop fruit is ripe. You have to open a fruit to check.
The hops are ripe when the yellowish powder lupullin has formed in the cone. When the fruit is opened, an aromatic scent emanates from it. This is the surest sign that the hops are ready to harvest.
Harvesting hops correctly
Harvest the hop cones while they are still green and tightly closed. Cut the umbels carefully, being careful not to injure them.
The best time to harvest is a dry day. There should have been little rain in the previous days too. The drier the hop fruits are, the quicker they can be processed and stored in the freezer.
Processing hops after harvest
If you want to enjoy the calming effects of hops as a tea, harvest the fruits continuously. Always cut off the largest umbels and pour boiling water over them.
If you have a large hop harvest, let the fruit dry for some time after harvesting. When dried, the cones unfold and make the yellow lupulline available, which contains the active ingredients desired in natural medicine or for beer brewing.
You can also put the dried cones in freezer bags and store them in the freezer for later use. The hops last there for up to a year.
Tip
In areas with commercial hop cultivation, harvesting is done by machine. The entire plant is cut and the umbels are later separated.
