Harvesting Hops

Oregon is affectionately known as Beervana. Oregonians are beer crazy. Bend, Oregon, has been dubbed Beer City USA because it has the most craft breweries per capita.

And I have received a "beer-ducation" since arriving here 2.5 years ago. I have learned all about hops and barley and IPAs, and ales and lagers and nitros and casks and more.

So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the fall hop harvest here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. I was on my way to visit a student teacher at a local high school and came around the bend to see a team hard at work harvesting this beer staple. Oregon is the second largest hop producing state in the US (behind Washington State and just ahead of Idaho).

Here is your hops education.

Hops are a flower. So, why are there hops in beer? There is a long, complicated answer about beer headiness and the favorable environment hops created for brewers yeast as well as acidity and antibiotic properties (Read more here if you are interested). The short answer is hops give beer a unique taste and aroma.

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Hops grow on guy wires between poles 20 feet in the air and are grown in a relatively packed space. In fact "A one-acre, high density hop plantation can easily contain 75-85 poles, 1200 plants, and cost $10,000 or more to establish." It is also a labor intensive crop. "Currently there are no mechanized implements for hop cultivation or harvest. Hand weeding and hand harvesting are the only reliable tools. Harvest is by far the most labor intensive, requiring up to 30 minutes for a single person to pick a bine (the woody vine they grown on) clean." (Source)

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Hops are in the Cannibis genus (yup, same family as marijuana) so they have to be harvested in long sleeves and protective clothing because they have an irritating effect on the skin. The crew I saw were feeding the cut bines into a machines to remove the flowers. Despite the warm September weather in Oregon, they were in long sleeves, hats and gloves. This picture shows the bines being cut from the wires.

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While some brewers use whole, wet hops from the bine, most are dried and used in a pelletized form. These hops will be taken from the bines, dried and become yummy beer - the only real commercial use for hops.

Great, now I am thirsty!

Wordless Wednesday 2-27-2013

My niece Emily staying warm for winter.

"Daddy daughter" dance

My dad had the chance to take my niece Emily to the YMCA's Daddy Daughter dance. So, I guess that makes it a granddaddy granddaughter dance.

Either way, they were adorable! I think my dad was more excited than my niece. She is 4 years old so the highlight was getting to ride in grandpa's car. And, of course, the corsage.

Check out these melt-your-heart photos.

 

Books Books and More Books

I love books.
I love to be around books.
This list looks like 30 vacations I would want to take.

So, I was delighted to find that living in Corvallis brings me near a few very good places to find cheap books. Of course, I already talked about Powell's when I visited there during Spring Break 2011. You cannot beat Powell's for selection but I can beat them on price.

There is a book sale at the Philomath Rodeo grounds in the fall and there is yesterday's sale at the Benton County Fairgrounds. As a "Friend of the Library" I got to enter at 4 when the public cannot enter until 6. I came home with 14 new books in about an hour and for under $30. Becoming a Friend is only $10 and helps support the local library. Yes, please!

This is my second time going to one of these and here are a few tips: 1) You have to come with a list. 2) Bring something to haul your load. Some people bring boxes or dolly carts. This time I borrowed a reusable shopping bag from my friend who drove! Arrive early for the best selection but know that by the end they are almost free. We went to the special opening yesterday and paperbacks were $2. By Sunday, you can fill an entire box and whatever fits is $5. Check out my reading list for the items that were bought for the "TO READ" shelf.

I am getting in some good practice before the sale in Eugene in April. It is a bit larger.

Besides book sales, I visit St.Vinnie's in Albany for their used book selection. This is a Thrift Store that is connected with Catholic ministries. The fact that it is categorized by author and subject, and that books are only $2 means that I can go with a list and find what I want. And, the money goes to charity.

I think I need to go buy another book shelf!

While the main blog page has not been updated in a while, the "Reading List" page is in constant evolution. Check it out.

Wordless Wednesday July 11, 2012

Good practice

Waking up terrified by the fact that the earth is moving....momentarily breathless and hustling to your feet. This is a common occurrence.

Although I live on the west coast, these are not earthquakes. It is the kid in the apartment upstairs who insists on leaping off the top bunk, shaking the walls and jarring me awake!

This caused two thoughts:
1) I am subconsciously thinking/dreaming more about earthquakes than I realized, and
2) I have to find a house and get out of this apartment!

The Countdown to Summer

Time flies... at least that is the old cliche, right? 

In some ways, it does not seem possible that I am wrapping up my second year. However, the fact that my institution is on the Quarter System means that I have been teaching basically non-stop since January. First, 11 week of Research Methods and after a spring break that included State FFA Convention, posting grades, evaluating work samples, and retooling a new class, I started a new term. It is week 8... which feels like week 19.

Summer is 25 days away. Summer is packed with travel and an exhausting list of tasks that I cannot seem to find time for during the school year and inevitably shuffle to summer. Regardless, summer is a change of pace with longer blocks of time to complete tasks and work at a much healthier pace. I am looking forward to the shift in speed.

"They Ask me why I Teach" by Glennice Harmon

They ask me why I teach
And I reply, "Where could I find more splendid company?"
There sits a statesman,
Strong, unbiased, wise,
Another later Webster
Silver-tongued.
And there a doctor
Whose quick, steady hand
Can mend a bone or stem the lifeblood's flow.
A builder sits beside him --
Upward rise the arches of that church he builds wherein
That minister will speak the word of God,
And lead a stumbling soul to touch the Christ.

And all about
A lesser gathering
Of farmers, merchants, teachers,
Laborers, men
Who work and vote and build
And plan and pray into a great tomorrow.
And, I say,
"I may not see the church,
Or hear the word,
Or eat the food their hands will grow."
And yet -- I may.
And later I may say,
"I knew the lad, and he was strong,
Or weak, or kind, or proud
Or bold or gay.
I knew him once,
But then he was a boy."
They ask my why I teach and I reply,
"Where could I find more splendid company?"

Ma and Pa Lambert visit Oregon

That is right...the Lamberts came to Oregon. My mom and dad spent a whole day in airports and airplanes just to come see where the middle daughter chose to start her career. And, boy did we pack in some fun. Okay, so it was a while ago and it has taken me a while to get the pictures posted. Whatever....Enjoy the recap.

We drove down to Eugene just to take in their special-kind-of-crazy and have a Voodoo doughnut. Yum!

We drove over the coastal mountain range to Newport. We had lunch at Rogue Brewery (Again, yum!), visited the Marine Science Center, and took in the seals while shopping the Old Bayfront area. It was freezing at the coast, even though it was 90 when we left Corvallis to drive the 45 miles to Newport. The weather can change drastically when you cross the coastal range. We had planned to stay and watch a sunset, but it was too cold and damp for the folks.. and it was cloudy so you couldn't see much anyway. I told my mom I would get her a sunset before she left.

They got the tour of campus complete with landmark buildings, Benny the Beaver statue, and of course my office!

We took a trip over the Cascade mountains to spend some time in the high desert portion of Oregon. We stopped at the museum and took in some sites there.

We shopped in Sisters (too busy shopping to take pictures). We stayed the night at the boss' cabin. Naturally for an aggie, it is shaped like a barn. My dad was ready to retire here.

And then we hit up Crater Lake. My second time seeing it but my parents' first time. It was also my first time without 30 feet of snow. We were able to drive all the way around. I could have spend the whole day here. Enjoy the pictures.

We took in nature.

And when we left Crater, we ate lunch and drove to Northern California to see some tall trees. This was nice and  my parents were troopers. I think they were tired at this point but they stuck with me. Going to see the trees was mostly an excuse to get over to the Southern Oregon coast so we could see a sunset without cloud. Remember - I had promised my mom.

We found some rocky Oregon beaches - think Goonies!

And we were able to see that sunset. Here are just a few of the 40+ pictures my mom snapped in the few minutes the sun was setting.

I hope they come back soon.