The Description.
The Hop doth live and flourish by embracing and taking hold of poles, pearches, and other things upon which it climeth. It bringeth forth very long stalkes, rough, and hairie; also rugged leaves broad like those of the Vine, or rather of Bryony, but yet blacker, and with fewer dented divisions: the floures hang downe by clusters from the tops of the branches, puffed up, set as it were with scales like little canes, or scaled Pine apples, of a whitish colour tending to yellownesse, strong of smell: the roots are slender, and diversly folded one within another.
The Place.
The Hop joyeth in a fat and fruitfull ground: also it groweth among briers and thornes about the borders of fields, I meane the wilde kinde.
The Time.
The floures of hops are gathered in August and September, and reserved to be used in beere: in the Spring time come forth new shoots or buds: in the Winter onely the roots remaine alive.
The Vertues.
The buds or first sprouts which come forth in the Spring are used to be eaten in sallads; yet are they, as Pliny saith, more toothsome than nourishing, for they yeeld but very small nourishment.
The floures are used to season Beere or Ale with, and too many do cause bitternesse thereof, and are ill for the head.
The floures make bread light, and the lumpe to be sooner and easilier leavened, if the meale be tempered with liquor wherein they have been boiled.
The manifold vertues of Hops do manifest argue the wholesomenesse of beere above ale; for the hops rather make it a physicall drinke to keepe the body in health, than an ordinary drinke for the quenching of our thirst.