Canola/Rape Seed Information
Fields of yellow in Lincolnshire…
I have a love/hate relationship with this plant. I love the sight of great fields of yellow as I drive through my home county but hate what the pollen from them does to me! This stuff gets right up my nose, into my eyes then out through the ears!
So what is it about rapeseed that makes farmers grow it in such abundance?
Brassica napus otherwise known as oilseed rape, rapa, rape,canola or rappi is incredibly useful not just in the food chain as canola oil or for its eating qualities particularly in Asian food but also for its use in making biodiesel and animal feed. Whatever the name you use I have long wondered why it is so commonly known as ‘rape’ which it has to be said isn’t the best choice you could ask for. Well it comes from the latin for turnip which is rapum.
As the latin name would suggest it is a member of the brassica family (think cabbages) and when the leaves and stems are tender they can be cooked in the same way as bok choy and other Asian greens. Look out for honey made from rape, honeybees love the pollen this plant yields but in most cases honey producers tend to mix or dilute rape honey with another, milder one.
The sight of these great fields of yellow are as common in the US as they are around here, you can see them in India, China, Canada and much of Europe too and despite their intoxicating perfume they truly are beautiful to look at.
Rape seed Field in Lincolnshire
The seeds have a very high oil content hence the reason for their use as a food oil but recent studies have shown that it may not be as healthy as we have been led to believe due to the high temperatures used in the treatment process. But the best thing of all is the way they attract yellowhammers and yellow wagtails!
Flowering Head of the Rape Seed Plant
Miles,
I’d have that last shot to advertise this product, it’s a winner.
Cid
May 13, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Miles,
nice shots and some good info, I’ve seen countless acres of the stuff and always wondere exactly what they did with it all.
I know it’s a nightmare for hay fever sufferers but that notwithstanding they do make for beautiful Lincolnshire fields
Best
Rod
May 14, 2010 @ 8:30 am
Miles,
.
I agree with Cid but would also add the first photo in the advert to show it grown in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside
I had no idea that the young leaves and stems could be eaten in that way.
Thank you.
Anne
May 14, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
All,
Actually we hayfever sufferers most often associate this with our discomfort because we can smell it when more often than not it can be another type of pollen which is affecting us. That said, it still gets up my nose!
Miles
May 14, 2010 @ 8:52 pm
Miles,
Whilst walking in one of my favourite Lincolnshire Villages yesterday, the path took us along a bright and shiny rape seed field. It was truly a picture but then I thought of your post and true enough, as soon as I got home my eyes were stinging until this morning
Anne
May 16, 2010 @ 1:36 pm