Handy Fotos der Woche 51

First the barometric pressure migraines, then the pollen, then the barometric pressure migraines *and* the pollen. April is indeed the cruelest month.

I complain, therefor I am.

“What is Hopfenspargel, Radish?” Roots of the hops vines–as I understand it, extra roots are removed so the vines put more energy into building the cones than into spreading out underground. Harvesting the roots, instead of just chopping around the vines, is extremely labor-intensive, and they are priced accordingly. Taking the Regional and Seasonal to the extreme, they’re only available for 2-3 weeks in spring, and generally only in and around the Hallertau (you can buy them in Munich for twice the local rate). So rare, it hasn’t made the Gastro Obscura, which delights me somehow.

I thought it tasted more like Schwarzwurzel than Spargel, and I’m not sure the taste is worth the retail expenditure, but if I was a hops farmer, I would be getting the grandkids to spend a couple extra hours digging in the dirt with me for the once-a-year exclusive experience and/or to earn some extra pocket money from urban Schickimickis. 😉