Hopes growing on ropes tied to palm trees
I double checked the address – sure enough the street sign matched my directions. There was supposed to be a farm located in this subdivision of tile-roofed homes. We walked up to the house and realized it had the largest lot on the street.
Laura and Seamus Fahey
Laura and Seamus Fahey of Fahey Farms Hopiary, have used their very large rear yard to grow fruits and vegetables, raise bees for honey, and plant flowers – hops to be specific. I always thought hops grew best in Germany or the Pacific Northwest, but no – here in the foothills of the San Gabriels these acorn-sized green cones grow very well – sometimes inches in a single day! They attach ropes to their palm trees , fences and patio covers to create the path for the hops to grow.
Family dog relaxing below the hop vines
The couple has been experimenting with over a dozen varieties and are in the process of figuring out which grow best. They aren’t quite ready to sell large quanities to brew houses, so in the mean time, they trade hops for beer with their friends – what they call their “hop swap”
Experimenting with different kinds of hops
The hops
After doing some ancestry research Laura found out her family were hop farmers in Bavaria, Germany before they came to the United States. Her Mother carries on the hop tradition with Fahey Farms East in New York State.