More garden

[Horsefly]

[Horsefly]

[Dr.Hess]

That looks really nice.  I'm growing some hops.  Trying to, anyway.

[Horsefly]

I checked into hops after your message. Very limited variety that’ll grow here. Interesting !! Got me wondering where the Germans where I grew up got their hops for their home-brew. I’ve never had home brew. I crave a friends homemade wine over anything I’ve ever bought and wonder if beer would be the same. My buddy went every year to somewhere in Arkansas and bought cases of Concord grapes. 

[Dr.Hess]

I've been brewing beer for >25 years now.  Lately, that's all I drink.  I have a kegerator now and just keg it instead of bottling.  I am experimenting with some hops plants to see if I can get some flowers from them.  They won't bloom until the 2nd year, "they say," and I have one plant that is in it's 2nd year.  Don't know if they will be any good or not.  Just seeds from Amazon.  Seems like most of the US grown hops come from the Pacific NW area.  I'm sure the Bohemians down in central TX figgered out how to grow some hops there.  Not sure about the panhandle area. 

I wrote an article recently published in Backwoodsman Magazine on exactly how I make beer, including bottling.  My cost per 50 bottles (2 cases) is around $25 or so.

 

[donmarkey]

On 5/18/2022 at 1:25 PM, Dr.Hess said:

That looks really nice.  I'm growing some hops.  Trying to, anyway.

Which rhizomes are you trying? There was a beer garden here that had them going and they used to let you pick. I never knew what the were but would use them in a summer wheat

 

 

[Dr.Hess]

I think they are "English Hops."  The amazon listing said "common hops seeds native to British Isles, beer hops seeds."   I follow the directions and get maybe 10% of them to sprout.  I have a "brown thumb."

[donmarkey]

 Northern brewer has a big selection of them. Too late this year for me. Maybe next year

[Dr.Hess]

I've been brewing with Northern Brewer Amber lately.  Amazon has 6 ea 6lb jugs for around a bill.  I've stopped using added grains and just use the malt.  I can brew a batch in under 2 hours, start to finish, and keg up last weeks during the process.

[Racepres]

10 hours ago, Dr.Hess said:

I've been brewing with Northern Brewer Amber lately.  Amazon has 6 ea 6lb jugs for around a bill.  I've stopped using added grains and just use the malt.  I can brew a batch in under 2 hours, start to finish, and keg up last weeks during the process.

2Hours?????

Takes mine 2 Weeks to stop working. What is yer ABV???

Not that I worry over high ABV... Liking 4-5%. Unless brewing for a "higher purpose".. ie. distilling.

Note; we have some excellent hop growers right here in the middle of the Mitten... precious few will share except to dedicated Breweries. It is good to have Friends

[Racepres]

Speaking of Garden...

 

[Dr.Hess]

I say 2 hours start to finish, as in:  Get the pots, hops, malt, tools out, start boiling, clean out the empty corny keg, pour the last batch into the corny keg, finish boiling, pour wort in the carboy (over ice to cool it so I don't kill the yeast,) clean up the mess.  I let it go a week fermenting in the carboy, but it is typically all done by day 3 or 4.  I re-use my last batch of yeast, leaving about 20 oz or so in bottom of the carboy when I pour the beer into the keg.  It is producing bubbles again within 2 or 3 hours, and by the next morning, doing like 10 bubbles a second, then slows down.  No idea on the ABV.  If I am kegging or bottling the beer but not brewing, then I bottle up either 12 or 20 oz of the yeast sludge in the bottom of the carboy for the next batch.  It will stay good for a year, at least.

[Horsefly]

This brewing beer is the most interesting thing I’ve read in a long time. 

[Horsefly]

I think I love asparagus as much as beer. It doesn’t grow well here, but right across Red River in the sandy land they grow lots of it. We roll it in olive oil and grill on mesquite coals just long enough it doesn’t loose crunch. 

[Horsefly]

Mockingbirds ruin more than half my tomatoes every year especially when it’s hot and dry. They only peck the red ones. I read somewhere to put red Christmas bulbs on vines to bluff the birds into thinking there’s no use messing with red things. So far not one single bird peck. Shot 2 cottontails this morning though. One was eating a tomato. Now I’m going to eat them. 

[Dr.Hess]

The deer are my main problem.  If I have any apples, peaches, hops, anything that I plant, they come eat it.  Walk right by 10 acres of nature and go for whatever I have planted. I hang a bit of deer hide on the plants and they seem to be leaving them alone.  We'll see when the fruit gets ripe.

[Horsefly]

My brother finally gave in and built high fence around his garden and fruit trees. Squirrels,rabbits, and Mockingbirds wear me out. I eat the first 2 but the Mockingbirds are state bird. Blue Birds swarm my garden eating bugs. Mockers eat my tomatoes. 

[Dr.Hess]

I'm at 190 Enemy KIA in the GWoS (Global War on Squirrels.)  Just cleaned out another recon squad.  Squad leader was the last.  They are getting smarter.  The last squad would post a lookout to warn whoever is eating.  But they always make a mistake.

[Horsefly]

Squirrels always wipe out the apricots so I wiped them out all winter. This spring tree didn’t even bloom. A few squirrels are back. This is off year for pecans and no apricots. Maybe some hungry squirrels. Looks like good year for peaches. 

[FC]

Pretty neat! 
I thought I pulled a turnip- nope, a radish as big as wide my hand!