Hoppy Days

"Oh, they say hopping's lousy

I don't believe it's true

We only go down hopping

To earn a bob or two."

In early September in the forties and fifties whole London streets decamped to the Kentish hop gardens to harvest the crop. For many, these were the happiest days of their lives.

My daughter was married in early September and we draped a hop bine around the bar in the marquee. The hop in my pic grows wild at the bottom of our field. Hops were originally introduced from China.

In spring it grows at a tremendous rate and we eat the shoots as one would asparagus. I have just learnt that it is the same family as cannabis and has been found to contain substances that aid sleep.