I had a chance on a recent very hot day to help with the hops harvest. Oh, I've long had a few on my back fence for home brewing purposes but these folks have a couple of acres growing. In these difficult times it is crucial that we have a supply of decent beer to be enjoyed....in moderation of course. So this was a sort of public service project.
Hops are really quite lovely, and smell great. They do however cause itching with prolonged contact on skin. And with 90 plus heat long pants and sleeves were hardly practical.
Here we have the trailer piled high with vines just cut down from their wires out in the hop yard. Bella the dog is, well, Bella does not actually do much but chase butterflies, but she's pretty good at it. The big red machine separates the hop cones from the vines quite effectively. The conveyor belts and such are exactly the sort of tech that our last robot needed.
Then it's back to the yard to cut down another batch of vines. On the return ride I got to just lay among the hops. Even with a bit of sweating in the heat I figure I smelled great.
I never consider it a good day unless I learn something. Although there are elaborate rigging systems that allow you to lower the hop vines to the ground, it is easier just to snip the vines at the base and just pull on the ropes to break them loose from the overhead wires. Because it combines just the right mix of strength and breakability, the rope you want for this is made of coconut fibers. It can only be purchased from Sri Lanka.
There, now you've probably learned something too. Have a good day!
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