Hops Harvest 2015

It is widely believed that Jack did not climb a bean stalk.
It was a hops vine.

It grows right to the sky,
or at least to the top of the house.

Beautiful, no?
The vine really likes the protected southern exposure
with the reflected light from the white house.
Yes, that's right, the farmer lives in the White House
(Just like Jimmy Carter).

Lovely green flowers!

And quite aromatic.

This is the view from the Hops room.
It's near the Oval Office.

The window is a good vantage point for hops inspection.

There is much to inspect.

The hops farmer prepares for the harvest.

He must climb to the top of the vine
and carefully, lovingly remove each fragile flower.

It's exacting and dangerous work.

But wait!
Perhaps there is another way!

Maybe if the vine is unwound and pulled down...

And it doesn't get stuck on the slipshod connector
that was used to extend the pole...

Instead of bringing the farmer to the vine,
perhaps the vine can be brought to the farmer.
Those flowers are tougher than they look.

Once removed, the vine can be used
to complete the floral adornment of the entryway.
Eat your heart out, Barack.

Alternatively, the vine can be moved to the picking station.

Protein supplement optional.

The vine, half processed.
Note that the farmer was also
not fully processed at this point.

The completed harvest, ready for drying.

Now all these hops can be processed into pills that relieve pain.  Really...hops can be made into a natural pain reliever.

Unlikely.  I think these hops will be used to create beverages that relieve pain in a more traditional way.  Perhaps you have relieved pain in this manner.

Remember to thank your hops farmer.

American Hop-pick.