'A Growing Passion' Takes On San Diego Hops

After a rainy season it seems every patch of earth is rain and blaming. It's not something governors are used to but it's a perfect time for the fifth season of a growing passion to start on KPBS TV. Joining me is Nan Sterman host of a growing passion and this season she will be taking viewers on journeys which include the story of seeds and botany at the San Diego zoo. Welcome back to the show. Thank you. I have to start by asking you how your own garden is working right now. I had a visitor that spent the night and walked out on the patio that said this is a jungle. It is just amazing the color the green. I wish I had more time to spend in my own garden. With all of this effort was growing going on what is most frequent question you from Gardner these days. I have this group called San Diego Gardner and people are so excited about growing vegetables. More and more people are excited about growing vegetables and have questions. We will have a bumper crop of insects and all I have to tell you is most of them are absolutely fine. If you do not know what it is do not spray it. Do not spray at all. One of the big issues is they belong here. Most of them just as much as the plants do. Those are good bucks. Lots of things about what I planned. One of the things he will be talking about on this new season of growing passion which begins tonight is about your hops. He talked with Nicole. Company owner Tom nickel tells you about the origins of the IPA San Diego is so famous for. India pale Elm is a style developed by British brewers to send over to the military in India. They took the pale Elm that they were making in the day and then you that both hops and alcohol acted as natural preservatives. The hot They were not really sold in Britain so as the British military presence in India died out so did the. What we know is IPA today is really an American creation based on British tradition. He really good sense that. The San Diego a lot of their own hops? Know they have not traditionally this is part of Dashwood's interest is and always interested in the plants we don't pay attention to and hops is one of them the ingredients and beer on multigrain mostly barley used water and hops. We do not grow much green here but I'm starting to see people going hops and a little the home girl --. It has been on my radar and there's people who have growing hops for many years. We are slowly beginning to see hops coming down. We are little five S. of living like moisture. In Oregon you see them going everywhere. Even northern California's to be the hot going capital of the world back in the 100+ years ago we are getting more here. You also head over to the San Diego zoo not the pedantic guidance. You look at the plant life tell us more about that People do not know this. We have a hidden gem. The San Diego zoo is an accredited botanic Garden.. Used to call the wild animal Park the collections there are outstanding and even going back historically when I found that the organization it was founded as a zoological garden. So the last what 20 years or so they have been redoing all their exhibits to create pace -- spaces that resemble habitats of where the animals come from and the only place you can do that is by having plants that are similar to those places but the collections are fantastic. Frankly even when I'm looking for garden inspiration and designing or whatever I go to the zoo Safari Park and look at the plants. I don't care about the animals. I am looking at the landscape. It is fantastic and it creates the feeling that we all think of the You are transported to another place because of the plants. Is Another episode is about Farmer City not harvest flowers to eat or display. They are harvesting the seeds. What is thinking about see farmers. Open a packet of seeds magically they grow. Not only do the credit you do. I teach workshops I just finished teaching this seasons. I'm always interested in watching the seeds. Seeds are amazing they really don't think about how did they get there. What we did was we went to in California a little bit north of Sacramento and visited with a woman who is a breeder. When Avenue variety come onto market like pumpkin tomato or whatever it is somebody has to breathe that. They have to decide they want a tomato that has certain characteristics flavor size color or whatever and then they deliberately set about crossing different varieties until they get what they want. Up in Northern California we went to one of the farms where there's a breeder every year and the new varieties and that is where the seat brokers, and the big farmers, it is there shopping mall. There setting things up. What would they be growing and offering to their customers. She gets orders for and then she has to go not the fruit to eat the fruit for see it. When you either click on the Internet when it is ripe to eat at the seeds are not right there. The seeds her life and it is like a for long. We would say we left it on the vine too long if you're going to harvest seceded is just perfect. There is no better time for this new season of the growing passion to start down right now. The new season begins tonight at 8:30. Be sure to watch KPBS evening edition 5:00 and 6:30 tonight. Join us again tomorrow for KPBS midday edition at noon followed by the KPBS roundtable at 1230. I am Maureen Cavanaugh thank you for listening.