For about 11 years now, I have battled tooth and nail against a hops plant that grows by my gate. We planted a beech hedge there, and it just seems to want to strangle it and anything else in its path.. so it made sense to try to remove it.
… That is until I discovered that hop shoots are edible and considered the world’s most expensive vegetable! After reading all the hype, I just had to try for myself and was pleasantly surprised!
I’ve put together some information on how to identify, harvest, and prepare hop shoots for anyone who has their own hops growing in the garden or would like to forage some wild hops! I’ll also share a simple yet delicious method of preparing this healthy green vegetable.
HUMULUS LUPULUS – NOT A HARRY POTTER SPELL!
Hops are the magical plant that lies behind most of the bitter flavors that we associate with beer, and each year, enormous amounts of hop plants are grown and harvested for this purpose. It also has the coolest Latin name – Humulus Lupulus!
-It can grow really tall, up to 10m or 32 feet, and is often called a bine rather than a vine. Though similar in some ways to grape vines, they differ in the way that they climb, winding their way upwards rather than using tendrils.
-Their stems have sharp downward-facing hairs that ‘grip’. ( I can also testify that they can burn! Especially if you get some scratches that are then exposed to sunlight!)
If the hop bines run out of material to climb, shoots sprout between the leaves of the main stem to form a network of stems wound around each other.
-Hops are also different from grape vines in the way that they die back completely every winter, leaving the dead stems behind.
-Regrowth appears from new shoots in the ground when the soil warms up in spring.
You might be surprised to learn that common hops are actually in the hemp family, Cannabinaceae!
–It’s the hops flowers (called cones) that are used in making beer!
The female flowers (cone-shaped flowers that don’t look much like flowers but rather look like a seed pod ) are commonly called hops and are used to preserve and flavor beer, stout, and ale.
If you look inside a hops cone, you can see these tiny yellow pods called lupulin, which gives beer its bitter flavor.
In researching for this post i learned that I have both male and female hops growing through our hedge. Which explains why there are continuously new plants popping up everywhere...
-Male hop plants produce branches with small flowers. These rather pretty flowers spread pollen, which can pollinate the female hop flowers, or rather the burs, which are precursors to the hop cones.
The cones will then produce seeds, which is undesirable for beer production. So most hop farms are careful to only have female plants or keep them completely separate.
Male hop flowers
You can just about see the little white burs on this female hops plant.
‘ Female plants, which produce the hop flowers used in brewing beer, are often propagated vegetatively and grown in the absence of male plants. This prevents pollination and the development of viable seeds, which are sometimes considered undesirable for brewing beer owing to the potential for off-flavors arising from the introduction of fatty acids from the seeds.[3]‘
antimicrobial and is also used to manufacture natural deodorant!
Commercial growers produce huge hop fields, nourished by drip irrigation.
-Hop cultivation for use in beer production is now global, but its a perennial climber native to West Asia, Europe and North America as it thrives in a moderate climate. Hop vines don’t thrive in a cold climate and the link below shows this clearly.
The cultivation of such large amounts of hops has led to the discovery that it has many other uses! Some enterprising farmer must have discovered that hop shoots can be harvested and sold commercially at a high price on international markets!
But Humulus is not only grown for use in beer! It’s also commonly grown in gardens and and sold in many varieties at garden centers.
What makes them the most expensive vegetable?
They grow sporadically, are small in size, and, like saffron, it’s hard to gather hop shoots in large volumes.
HOP SHOOTS AND THEIR CULINARY USES
So, I’m sure you’re wondering how the world’s most expensive vegetable tastes!
I really enjoyed the delicate flavor, though I’m not sure that i would be willing to pay a steep price fo the experience!
Hop shoots are sometimes referred to as hop asparagus, though they don’t taste at all like asparagus. They’re definitely more bitter, like a green bean, buttheir tender shoots are similar in consistency to asparagus but with a kale-like quality.
They’re really of hard to describe!
Because it takes a while to gather them, it’s most common to serve hop shoots as a side dish.
I simply sauted them in a frying pan with a little bit of butter and served them with a poached egg.
But many recommend adding them to a frittata, omelet, or even risotto. Hop shoots can also apparently make a delicious alternative to bean sprouts in a stir fry!
Let me know your favorite ways to prepare them in the comments section!
HOW TO HARVEST HOP SHOOTS IN YOUR GARDEN OR SAFELY FORAGE WILD HOPS
The growing season for hops usually begins in late spring or, if it is mild, early April here in Southern Sweden. Back home in temperate Ireland, it’s as early as March. If you’re already familiar with hops, it’s easy to recognize the emerging green tips of the hop plant.
Hops is a perennial plant, actually a perennial climber, which means it dies back each year. It leaves its dead and dried-out vines behind, which is very helpful to help identify hop plants. But if you are foraging for wild hops, I recommend looking for vines from the previous year.
Wild hops can most often be found growing in hedgerows and at the edge of woods.
I highly recommend that you watch thisvideo if you plan on foraging wild hops!
If you have the right climate, hops plants are a very easy perennial to grow in your own garden.
You can buy seeds online, though I recommend ordering hop crowns ( part of a mature root system that, when planted, will produce underground shoots) for best results. I’ve seen these at garden centers, and the garden center could also advise on which variety suits your garden best.
I also learned a little about bull shoots when researching which shoots to cut. These are some of the very first shoots to appear from the ground. They're usually purple, have larger burs and feel scratchy, are hollow, and snap easily rather than bend. I haven't yet understood if these are also considered edible or if they should be disregarded. I will look more closely next spring, try some, and let you all know!
Whether you are foraging for wild hops or growing your own hops plant, it’s best to harvest the tender shoots in early spring.It’s okay if you include a few very small leaves with young hop shoots!
-Spring shoots don’t necessarily have to be harvested from the ground. The hop vines rapid growth means the shoot’s top part is new growth. But the early growth and first shoots are definitely the most tender!
-The new bines are fleshier and more tender. Depending on how virile the plant is, gathering enough to make a meal can take a long time. ( I’ve been actively trying to decimate our plant, so there weren’t a lot of hop shoots. It took me about half an hour to gather enough young shoots. )
-I was expecting them to wilt quickly, but they held fresh for a couple of hours while family life came between harvest and cooking. I recommend placing them in a jar of water as you would with asparagus, though. You can also store them in an airtight container together with a damp paper towel in the refrigerator for up to a week!
I decided that the best way to prepare my hop shoots for the first time would be to simply saute them. They were already very tender. But you can also blanch them in boiling water if they are a little stiff!
Medicinal properties of hops and its uses.
Hops have long been used in many cultures for medicinal purposes and appear in many herbal remedy books. There is some research emerging that backs up some of the claims of hops’ medicinal properties. Here’s some of what I found.
‘In Indian-Ayurvedic medicine, hops has been recommended for restlessness associated with nervous tension, headache, and indigestion;20 its actions are reported as sedative, hypnotic, and antibacterial.’
Extracts of the bitter alpha-acids present in H. lupulus have been shown to decrease nocturnal activity, acting as a sleep aide, in certain concentrations.
Tender, with a little crunch, these mildly bitter and surprisingly moreish hop shoot vegetables are worth the time it takes to gather them. They have a really intriguing flavor and are surprisingly moreish!
Ingredients
1 large bunch of fresh hop shoots, remove any larger leaves, and use just the most tender part of the shoot. Past the first few inches ( 5-6 cm), they can become fibrous and tough.
3 tbsp butter, a little olive oil, or a mixture of both.
Sea salt
Optional:
Soy sauce
A clove of crushed garlic or sprinkle of powdered garlic
Grated parmesan
Method:
1. If necessary, blanch the hop shoots for 1-2 minutes in salted boiling water so slightly soften them. It’s important to cook them as little as possible to maintain their flavor!
2. Heat your pan over medium heat and add the butter or oil. Add crushed garlic if using and saute for 1 minute. Add the shoots and toss to coat in butter. Sautee for another 2 minutes and season with salt, soy sauce or parmesan.
Hop shoots are delicious, served with eggs or mixed through roasted vegetables and sprinkled with feta!
I love sharing my knowledge of foraging and simple, back-to-basics cooking so you’ll find some great recipes here, many inspired by my life in Sweden and my Irish roots.
I’m also a potter, passionate about connecting with other artists so you’ll also find inspiring interviews with fellow potters from around the world!
Whether you love pottery or simply looking for a new recipe, I hope you’ll find inspiration here!
So, I'm sure you're wondering how the world's most expensive vegetable tastes! This simple recipe allows the hop shoots' delicate flavor to take the main stage.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 large bunch of fresh hop shoots, remove any larger leaves and use just the most tender part of the shoot. They can become fibrous and tough past the first few inches ( 5-6 cm).
3 tbsp butter, a little olive oil, or a mixture of both.
Sea salt
Optional: A clove of crushed garlic or sprinkle of powdered garlic, soy sauce, grated parmesan.
Instructions
1. If necessary, blanch the hop shoots for 1-2 minutes in salted boiling water so slightly soften them. It's important to cook them as little as possible to maintain their flavor! 2. Heat your pan over medium heat and add the butter or oil. Add crushed garlic if using and saute for 1 minute. Add the shoots and toss to coat in butter. Sautee for another 2 minutes and season with salt, soy sauce or parmesan.
Notes
Hop shoots are delicious, served with eggs or mixed through roasted vegetables and sprinkled with feta!
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