I first joined the KCGA community garden in 2018. I had one of the south facing garden plots in front of the hops wall. (attached images are June of 2018). After living in Renfrew, Marda Loop, the Beltline, and a year in Edmonton, I'm back in Killarney this year.
I first heard of Village brewery through their prostate cancer fundraiser. I fell in love with the Blacksmith, but the Village Blonde is a close second.
I was excited about this partnership back in 2018, however I knew very little about hops. A friend started the company https://www.instagram.com/wvhops/?hl=en Water Valley Hops west of Calgary. I learned a bit form him about pruning and maintenance after a visit to the property.
I'm excited to play a more active role in the maintenance of the KCGA hops vines this year. Not only are hops great for beer, one of my favourite recipes is this macaroni and cheese with a hoppy twist: https://steemit.com/food/@haphazard-hstead/how-to-cook-hop-mac-and-cheese-with-beer-hops-with-a-bonus-9-plant-wild-salad-too-thursday-s-green
We have very few plants in our northern climate that can grow as quickly as hoppy. They show visible growth daily. I'm curious to see how high the KCGA vines might climb this year now that they have a well established root system.
Jonathan H.
