Holy herbage Vonman. Don't your neighbors complain about the smell? What variety do you have there? I know the pellets can be kept for a long time, is their a way to hang on to the fresh hops till you need them?
They aren't very pungent until you knock around the lupulin glands, and it's a pleasant smell anyway (fresh, citrus-like)
(last year's planting)
Cascade
Hallertauer
Nugget
(this year)
Perle
Mt. Hood
Sterling
Dry them well (when you try to bend them in half and the main stem of the cone snaps easily, they are ready) until they have a parchment/papery feel. Then freeze them. I'm also working on a contraption to make 1/2 oz. plugs.
The pellets keep the longest, but when you 10-15 gallons at a time, they tend to clog up the straining screen in the brew kettle and/or wind up in the fermentation vessel. They also leave a green slime at the top of the brew kettle in the foam from the hot break. By the time you have boiled in the kettle for an hour or so, it bakes on and is a pain in the arse to get off.
I, personally, can't stand pellets, but sometimes they are a necessary evil. More so when You can't find a certain variety in fresh, or plugs.
I have attempted to label each one, but you might have to zoom in to see better.
