What a Hoppy Place

Yesterday Joe Lane, Katie Ryan, PCT thru-hiker Stonefly and I set out on a mission to pick hop shoots for the Mountain Rambler’s ever-evolving, delicious, seasonal, and mouth-watering menu.

Did you know you could pickle hop shoots? I had no idea. I also had no idea that the shoots taste pretty darn good too – straight off the vine. While we went up and down the growing hop aisles, Joe gave us a little education on the plants, whose genius/species I already forgot. But I do remember him saying that they are related to cannabis — except these guys have absolutely no THC.

Katie, the mastermind behind the Mountain Rambler’s menu and kitchen manager extraordinaire, told me you can just about pickle anything. She has plans to pickle these little shoot babies and add them on top of one of the Rambler’s seasonal salads. It was a hit last year so stay tuned and make sure to try them out while supplies last!