The Outeniqua Hop Route was inspired by the abundance of hops grown in the nearby mountains. Waboomskraal and Herold, as well as parts of Blanco are home to hops growing. They are a unique attraction to the route, being the only area to grow these strange cones growing on vines up trellises. The creeper grows at a phenomenal rate of approximately 100mm a per day, making it one of the fastest growing plants in the world. The cones are harvested in February and March, the cones of the female plants being used for pollination. During season, the rows of old variety vines can be seen lit up by overhead lights which supports the growing phase, delaying the flowering phase. New varieties do not need lights and are unique to mild winter temperatures and short days. Driving up and over the Montagu or Outeniqua passes, one is confronted by hectares of trellises and in season, these are a sea of green with hop pickers and tractors hard at work to harvest this intensive crop. The first hops appeared in South Africa when Jan van Riebeeck had them planted in his hop garden in Cape Town in 1652. After an initial brewing of beer, no evidence is shown that hops continued to be grown and harvested. Hop growing only really started to take place again at the beginning of the 20th century around the village of Herold. In 1924, Cape Town breweries held a nationwide competition to see which area was suitable for growing hops. Hop cuttings were supplied to a number of areas. The area around George produced the best hops and the first hop farm “Agfunst” was bought by Union Hop Growers. Interestingly, part of the Agfunst farm is now under a different kind of vine – grapes, which are grown for Herold Winery.
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