Last week we announced the Urban Hops Project, the NYBG‘s momentous partnership with The Bronx Brewery, our borough’s up-and-coming beer craftsmen hailing from none other than nearby Mott Haven. This week we’re talking hops on a deeper level, engaging a bit of the chemistry that makes these subtle green flower clusters so integral to what reaches your bottle, can, or keg. And with so many craft brewers cropping up in the United States over the last decade, there’s good cause for bringing the all-important perennial, Humulus lupulus, back to New York.

Surprisingly enough, we’re far from the first folks to envision hop fields in the Empire State. The hop-growing tradition in New York is about as long as the state’s history, having been farmed for generations. In fact, our state was the largest hop producer in the U.S. through much of the 19th century. But, as almost any high-falutin beer commercial will tell you, the popular origin of the industry lies in Germany.
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Happy Flag Day, everyone! Today marks the 235th anniversary of our star-spangled banner’s adoption, recognized each year on the 14th of June with a quiet “hurrah!” before the Fourth of July fireworks. And nearly a century ago, this was a momentous day at the Garden.

Our own flags were first raised on a sunny Saturday in 1917, and while it was during the height of World War I, Bronx residents still took the time to gather in celebration. In the midst of so much grim news from Europe, NYBG staff had pulled together to keep spirits high; the raising of three flag poles gifted to us on June 16 of that year (it’s easier on the weekend) gave the Garden an excuse to party–with parades, poetry, and at least a few swords.

It’s not often that something so simple as a flag raising gets its own marching band treatment these days, but hey, John Philip Sousa was a much bigger deal back then. The gifts–from one Edward D. Adams, NYBG board member–were met with a crowd of several hundred local school children, three separate Boy Scout troops (and their band), then Bronx Borough President Douglas Mathewson, and many more.
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A bee bumbling through a graceless moment, or enjoying the revelation of flower petal as recliner?

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen