Hemp Seed Food Facts · Hemp as
Food · Recipes
Hemp Seed Food Facts
Hemp is an excellent nutritional source of Omega–3 and 6 and amino acids, including the eight essential ones. The presence of these nutrients helps regulate such common conditions as: cardiac function, insulin balance, mood stability, skin and joint health.
Omega–3 and 6 and amino acids are not made by the body so they need to be acquired through the diet. Hemp seed is processed into oil, protein powder or hulled or shelled seed and can be used in the daily diet to deliver an excellent source of these nutrients.
There are many different healthy hemp products available today that provide an excellent source of nutrients. These produces include: lactose–free milk, salad dressings, protein powders, dips and nutrient bars to name a few.
See our hemp recipes section for delicious food preparation ideas.
For pet health: Hemp is a healthy vegetable protein for animals, contributing to overall health and vitality and a rich sheen to the coat. Cats, dogs, cows and horses have all been fed hemp as a supplement. As chum, hemp is used as angler’s bait. Hemp seed is also excellent feed for birds – from chickens to songbirds to racing pigeons.
Hemp as Food
Nutritional Profile and Benefits of Hempseed, Nut and Oil
By Gero Leson & Petra Pless
Hemp foods are expanding onto the shelves of grocery and natural food stores across North America. By definition, these are foods containing hempseed oil, whole seeds, &l t; Available hemp food products currently include salad dressings, nutrition bars, bread, cookies, granola, nut butter, corn chips, pasta, ice cream and cold pressed oil supplements. These products are not sold for the “hemp cachet” alone; manufacturers promote hemp foods for their exceptional nutritional benefits. Examining the composition of hempseed will help explain these benefits.
Like other oil seeds, the hemp nut; i.e., hulled seed, consists mainly of oil (typically 45%), protein (35%), and dietary fibre and other carbohydrates (10%, predominantly stemming from residues of the hull).
Composition of hemp nut
In addition, the nut contains vitamins particularly the tocopherols and tocotrienols of the Vitamin E complex, hytosterols and trace minerals. Overall, hemp’s main nutritional advantage over other seeds lies in the composition of its oil; i.e., its fatty acid profile, and in its protein that contains all of the essential amino acids in nutritionally significant amounts and in a desirable ratio.
Most oil seeds contain plenty of linoleic acid (LA), an essential fatty acid (EFA) from the “Omega–6” family, yet they offer little alpha–linolenic acid (ALA), the other EFA from the “Omega–3” family. Health agencies around the world agree that humans should ingest these EFAs in an Omega–6/3 ratio of about 4. Since seed oil and fats in meat, both low in Omega–3, account for most of our fat intake, Western diets typically have Omega–6/3 ratios of 10 and more, which is far too rich in Omega–6. Recent clinical research continues to identify this imbalance as a cofactor in a wide range of common illnesses: cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, diabetes, skin and mood disorders. A 1999 workshop by the U.S. National Institute of Health demonstrated the impressive benefits of a balanced Omega–6/3 ratio in our diet: reduced risk of atherosclerosis, sudden cardiac death and certain types of cancers, decrease in the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, mood improvement in bipolar disorders, and optimized development in infants.
In clinical studies, these benefits are often achieved using Omega–3 rich fish and flaxseed oil supplements. A more “holistic” approach is to shift our general dietary fat intake towards nuts and oil with a better Omega–6/3 ratio. Hemp nut and oil offer, varying somewhat with plant variety, Omega–6/3 ratios of 3 and less. This exceeds the target ratio of 4 and compensates in part for Omega–3 deficiencies in the rest of our diet. No other vegetable oil that can be used for so much of our cooking (up to 300º F) offers EFAs at such high levels in a desirable Omega–6/3 ratio.
Typical fatty acid composition of vegetable oils
Hemp oil also provides significant amounts of the “super” polyunsaturated fatty acids, notably gamma–linolenic acid (GLA) and stearidonic acid (SDA). These are not essential themselves, but our body only naturally produces them from the LA and ALA essential fatty acids, respectively. Supplementation with GLA and SDA appears to alleviate the symptoms of atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases in some patients treated with black currant seed oil, which has a similar fatty acid profile to hempseed oil, but is much more expensive and difficult to find. Clinical trials of the putative benefits from ingested hempseed oil are currently under way at the University of Kuopio in Finland to assess the extent of these potential benefits. GLA and SDA content in hempseed vary considerably with variety and this needs to be considered when using hempseed oil to alleviate such symptoms. Hempseed oil typically contains less than 10% of saturated fatty acids. Unlike other more sensitive oils like flaxseed, hemp oil can be heated up to 150° C (300° F) for prolonged periods of time for cooking or baking purposes, without forming hydrogenated (hardened) or refined trans–fatty acids, known to be particularly detrimental to the blood cholesterol balance.
The hemp nut protein is also of exceptional high quality relative to amino acid (AA) composition and the protein structure, the latter affecting digestibility and utilization of protein by our body. Hemp protein contains all of the essential amino acids in nutritionally significant amounts at a ratio closer to “complete” sources of protein (like meat, milk, eggs) than all other oil seeds except soy beans. Hemp nut protein consists of two globular proteins, albumin (1/3) and edestine (2/3), with a structure very similar to proteins manufactured in our blood, and are thus readily digestible. Hemp nut protein appears to be free of antinutrients, which are found in soy to interfere with protein uptake. Thus, eating hempseed or nuts delivers protein with an AA composition as we need it and in a structure readily utilized.
Hemp’s nutritional advantage over other sources of fats and protein thus lies in its highly desirable balance of basic nutrients. Simply put, when eating hempseed, nut and/or oil, our body obtains much of what it needs without the caloric ballast of non–essential nutrients. Yet, unlike fish and flax oil supplements and protein powders, properly processed hempseed offers these benefits “in taste;” i.e., with a nice flavour profile. Fresh cold pressed hempseed oil and hemp nuts, particularly when toasted, add a nice nutty flavour to many dishes and off the shelf food products. Thus, hemp nut and oil are attractive both nutritionally and culinarily, rendering them truly modern food sources.
Gero Leson, D.Env. is an environmental scientist and consultant with extensive experience in food and fibre uses of hemp and other renewable resources.
Recipes
We are drawing on the many cooking talents sprinkled throughout Canada’s hemp
industry for the selection of recipes for HempTrade.ca. Whether your tastes are
refined or you prefer simple meals, hemp’s wonderful nutrition can he harnessed at
home for almost any kind of meal or snack.
Hemp is a very flexible and easy to use ingredient and these are only some of the
delicious uses that have been cooked up by Canada’s hemp gourmets.
Hemp is certainly a versatile ingredient, but the oil and hulled seed forms should
not be heated to high temperatures. Because it has a low smoke point, like flaxseed
oil and other highly unsaturated oils, it has the ability to change from good fat to
bad fat with high temperatures thus counteracting its health benefits. So use raw
when possible. A good rule of thumb: if it’s too hot to eat, it’s too hot for hemp.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Dessert
Other
Recipe courtesy of P Bedard of Sur–le–champ
Servings:
1 portion
Preparation Time:
10 min
Ingredients
1 Banana
2 spoon of hemp seed
2 spoon of flax seed
2 spoon of sarazzin seed
1/2 cup of yogourt
1 spoon of hemp oil, or sunflower oil
fresh fruit
Directions
In a bowl, mash the banana with a forch. Add the oil and the yogourt. Mix well in a coffee grinder, grind the hemp seed, flax seed and sarazzin seed. Add to the mixture – mix well. This is the basis of the budwig cream (the original one in fact included hemp seed) you can add fresh cut fruit at your taste. My prefered one is Blueberry with Strawberry and Rasberry. Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
15 large Crepes
Preparation Time:
40 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup hemp flour
1 tsp corn starch
2 cups of milk
1/8 th tsp salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup butter
Directions
place all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix thoroughly
add eggs and milk and wisk till smooth
melt butter in a small pot or sauce pan, add to flour and add mixture and wisk till well incorporated
Place in fridge for 30 minutes
remove from fridge and wisk before using
place a medium non–stick pan on medium heat
add 2 ounces of crepe batter to non–stick pan
cook on one side for 1 ½ minutes and flip gently with a spatula
cook one more minute and place on a plate till ready to use
A great way to wake up in the AM
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
3 servings
Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 cup hulled hemp seed
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
Directions
Pre–heat oven to 275° F.
Place milk in a small pot and bring to a boil then remove from heat.
Place hemp seed in a small bowl and pour the milk and maple syrup in with the hulled hemp seed, cover lightly with plastic wrap.
Let rest for 10 minutes, then place ingredients in a blender at high speed for 3 minutes or until smooth.
Remove ingredients from the blender and place in a small bowl. Add the eggs and wisk.
Place hemp mixture in 4 ounce ramkins or coffee cups and place in an oven proof pot with hot water half way up the sides of the ramkins or coffee cups.
Cover pot and place in oven.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm when you wiggle the custard.
Remove from the pot and refrigerate.
Serve when cool.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
1
Preparation Time:
Quick
Directions
Choose some fruit, bananas, apples, berries, kiwi, whatever you have around.
Grab some cold fluid from the fridge, rice milk, hemp milk, soy milk, or cow milk.
Put liquid in blender, add fruit to taste. Add a little sweetener like maple syrup. Add a green booster like spirulina, add two tablespoons of hemp oil and 6 tablespoons of hemp flour.
Mix and drink!
Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
5 medium pancakes
Preparation Time:
2 minutes
Directions
Add 1 cup of liquid to 1 cup of HEMPFOOD.CA POWER PANCAKE MIX. Blend well. Cook on an oiled or non stick griddle.
Sweeten to taste with Maple Syrup.
A delightful pancake full of fiber, protein and flavour.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
Single
Preparation Time:
15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup Hulled Hemp Seed
1 tsp honey
3 pears peeled and cored
Directions
Place hulled hemp seeds in a small bowl.
Bring water to a boil and pour over hulled hemp seeds. Cover and place in fridge for 30 minutes or until cold.
Place pears, honey and hemp mixture in a blender and blend till smooth for about 3–4 minutes.
Pour serve, and enjoy.
This smoothie is more then 40% protein and is very high in EFAs.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
About 1 litre
Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Directions
Boil some water in a kettle. Prep one cup of hulled hemp seed. Pour hot water into a blender, add hulled seed.
Blend until completely mixed. Let the mix cool for a minute then pour it through a cheese cloth.
Take the remaining liquid and chill or drink on the spot.
Great for smoothies, cereal, anywhere you might use milk!
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 medium shrimp, diced
1" ginger, grated
3 thai chili, chopped
1 T garlic, chopped
1 T sugar
2 T nam pla (fish sauce)
1 T red onion, finely diced
4 baby bok choy
2 green papaya
1/2 bunch cilantro
3 T peanut oil
2 T hemp oil
2 scallions
1/4 cup toasted peanuts
Directions
Clean and devein shrimp. Dice each shrimp into four equal pieces. Reserve.
Combine grated ginger, thai chilis, garlic, sugar, nam pla and red onion. Whisk together. Thirty minutes before cooking shrimp add marinade to shrimp.
Add washed and halved baby bok choy to salted boiling water for three minutes. Place bok choy in an ice bath until cold.
Peel and deseed the green papaya and shred or cut into fine slivers.
Pick and wash cilantro leaves and reserve.
Heat a frying pan over medium–high heat until it smokes. Add peanut oil and wait an additional minute. Add the marinating shrimp and cook for two and a half minutes or until the shrimp are translucent.
Add hemp oil, toasted hulled hemp seed, scallions and cilantro leaves
Place shrimp over green papaya and baby bok choy.
Spring peanuts over the top.
Recipe courtesy of Hempola
Servings:
Any Size
Preparation Time:
5 minutes
Ingredients
fresh bagels
light cream cheese
fresh chives or green onion, chopped
alfalfa sprouts
fresh, ripe tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cut bagel in half and toast. Layering is important. Spread cheese on bagel and sprinkle with chives. Top with alfalfa sprouts then drizzle Hempola Hempseed Oil into the sprouts. Add tomato slice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Recipe courtesy of Chef Mikey (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) at Manitoba Harvest
Servings:
3 servings
Preparation Time:
15 minutes
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Hemp Seed Oil
1/2 cup Hemp Seed Nut
4 cups of beet(peeled & chopped
2 cups of beets(shredded)
3 cups of water
1 large avocado
1 small onion(chopped)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juic
1 Tbsp tamari
Directions
Combine all ingredients except shredded beets in a blender. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. You may need to help stir it if you do not have a strong blender(A vitamix is best!).
Borsht can be served hot or cold. If you prefer it hot, place the blender mix in a pot and warm it on the stove on low(If you have a vitamix, it will warm by keeping it blending on high for 5 minutes). Stir the shredded beets into the hot or cold mixture and serve. You can garnish with strips of fresh chives.
Borsht is a traditional Russian specialty. It is a very tasty soup which is loaded with powerful cancer fighting antioxidants.
Servings:
5-7
Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Ingredients
whole chicken
dill pickle
veganaise (mayo)
celery
red onion (purple onion)
hemp oil
hulled hemp seed (hemp nuggets)
salt & pepper
Directions
Boil one whole large chicken about 30–45 minutes.
Slice 1/4 of large red (purple) onion and 1 and 1/2 stalks of celery. Slices should be paper thin and then chopped/minced – the smaller the better.
Tear chicken off bones and chop into bite size pieces.
Mince 1 and 1/2 claussen dill pickles.
Put all of the above in a large bowl.
Add 4 serving spoon of veganaise (mayo).
Add 1 serving spoon of hemp oil.
Add 1 serving spoon of hulled hemp seed.
Add 1/2–1 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
Mix and Eat with your favorite bread, cracker, salad, or all by itself!
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
1/2 seasoned rice vinegar
1 T salt
1 T sugar
6 stalks asparagus
1/2 avocado
1 green onion
2 T wasabi
6 sheets nori (seaweed)
1 cup hulled hemp seed
Directions
Rinse rice in water. Combine rinsed rice with 2 cups of water and cook over low-medium heat until rice is tender.
In a separate saute pan combine vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Once the sugar and salt dissolve, add it to the already cooked rice. Let rice cook quickly by either fanning it or by agitating the rice with a fork.
Put a pot of salted water on stove to boil. Once water has reached a boil add asparagus. Cook asparagus for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Refresh in an ice bath.
Cut out a very small sliver of avocado. Reserve.
Wash the green onion.
Add 1 T of water to the wasabi powder. Mix well.
Place rice on bamboo mat the same area as the nori sheet. Spread a half a teaspoon of wasabi paste across the rice. One inch from the bottom place the vegetables. Lay the nori sheet on top of the rice and the vegetables. Slowly fold the bamboo mat over and begin to roll the rice over the vegetables as if making a jelly-roll.
Spread hulled hemp seed on flat work surface and roll the maki in the hulled hemp seed. Slice with sharp knife.
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Yields six tamales
Ingredients
8 oz. of seitan
1/2 cup hulled hemp seed
2 ears of corn, remove kernels with knife
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 corn husts
1 bunch scallions, slice thin
2 tomatoes, chopped small
1 small Spanish onion, small dice
Directions
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until mixture is combined.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove mixture from refrigerator and combine with seitan. Lay out corn husks and fill with cornmeal mix, then wrap.
In a bamboo steamer over boiling water, steam tamales for 7-8 minutes to heat thoroughly.
Combine corn, tomatoes, garlic, scallions and onions in a bowl.
Salt and pepper to taste. Top with a tomato salsa.
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
4 servings
Preperation Time:
Quick
Ingredients
2 Bunches Watercress, cleaned and trimmed
1 bunch snowpea blossoms
1 bunch scallions, rinsed, blanched and shocked
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup pumpkin oil
1/8 cup hulled hemp seed
Directions
In a food processor combine scallions, garlic and hempnut. Blend on low. Begin to add oil to emulsify.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss watercress and peashoot blossoms, add salt and pepper.
Add approximately 3 tablespoons of pesto to salad and toss with hulled hemp seed.
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 ears of corn
1 cucumber
1 red onion
1/4 cup loosely packed mint
1/4 cup hulled hemp seed
1/4 cup hemp oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
4 avocados
8 oz mesclun
Directions
Shuck corn and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove corn kernels from cob by running a knife alongside the cob
Peel and dice cucumber into corn kernel sized cubes
Peel and dice red onion into similar size
Fold mint leaves and thinly slice
Combine mint, corn, cucumber, hulled hemp seed and red onion in bowl and cover with hemp oil. Season with salt and pepper
Over medium heat, reduce one cup of balsamic vinegar until it is syrupy (about 12 minutes) Let cool
Slice avocado in half. Carefully remove skin leaving two perfect halves
Place washed mesclun in the center of the plate and put two avocado halves on top. Fill the avocado with the corn-mint salsa. Drizzle with balsamic glaze
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Yields 4 servings
Preparation Time
Approx 40 minutes
Ingredients
12 square wonton skins
6 large portobello mushrooms, cut into cubes
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar.
Reduced by half
1/2 cup hemp oil
1 tablespoon shopped garlic for sauce
2 eggs lightly whisked for an egg wash
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon hulled hemp seed
Directions
Sauté 2 tablespoons garlic in sesame oil for 20 seconds, add portobellos and scallions. Sauté for approximately 3–4 minutes until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated. Deglaze with soy sauce, and remove from heat Reserve in a bowl.
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Submerge 3–4 wonton skins and cook for 30 seconds, work in batches.
Remove from pot and place in cold salted water to shock. Place on a sheet tray covered with plastic wrap, and light oil to avoid drying out. Begin to fill wonton skins 2 at a time. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of mushroom mixture in the middle of a wonton skin, then using a brush, slightly moisten edges with egg wash and fold skins into triangles. Finish remaining raviolis.
In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil and chopped garlic. Add raviolis to reheat, or you may steam.
Cook until garlic is lightly browned, remove raviolis and stir in balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and stir in hempoil.
Place raviolis on a plate, drizzle with sauce, and garnish with hulled hemp seed.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
2 to 4 patties
Preparation Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium parsnips, peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled
3 shitake mushrooms
1 small onion, peeled
1 cup hulled hemp seed
1/4 cup hemp flour
1 clove of garlic sliced thin
1 Tbs minced ginger
2 green onions sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 300° F
Cut parsnip in half lengthwise. If it is a large parsnip, cut it into 4 pieces
Cut carrot lengthwise in half
Quarter onion
Place carrots, parsnips and onions on a well oiled baking sheet and place in oven. After 10 minutes add shitake mushrooms
Bake for 10–15 more minutes or until everything is soft
Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature
Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree for 3 minutes
Remove ingredients from processor, place in a medium sized bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Form mixture into 2–6 ounce patties or 4–3 ounce patties
Place medium fry pan on medium heat with 2 ounces of oil in itflour each side of the patty and fry till golden brown on each side
Place patty in a 350° F oven for 5 minutes and serve
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Serves 4
Ingredients
Filling:
1 T vegetable oil
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 # spinach
3 oz walnut
2 T hemp oil
4 oz cream cheese
2 oz heavy cream
1 T sliced basil
Eggplant Puree:
1 eggplant
½ cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
Directions
Make pasta dough and roll out to the “1” setting. Cut into 5X7 rectangles and keep refrigerated and covered.
Heat vegetable oil over medium–high heat. Add chopped garlic, walnuts and cleaned spinach. Sauté for about 1 minute until spinach has wilted. Place mixture in blender and puree.
Place pureed mixture in a bowl. Incorporate hemp oil, cream cheese and heavy cream. Wash and dry basil leaves. Thinly slice basil leaves and combine. Reserve.
Peel eggplant and cut into cubes. In a medium sized saucepan add eggplant, olive oil, whole peeled garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Let this mixture slowly simmer over low–medium heat for about twenty minutes. The garlic should be soft and lightly brown. If the garlic begins to burn it should be discarded. Allow mixture to cool for 30 minutes and puree in a blender until velvety. Season and reserve.
In salted boiling water add pasta sheets and cook for about one and half minutes. Remove from water and pat dry. Heat spinach mixture and add to center of manicotti and roll. Heat the eggplant mixture to slightly warmer than room temperature and serve
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 oz sweet potato
3 oz asparagus
3 oz eggplant
Batch:
4 oz hulled hemp seed
4 oz a.p flour
1 cup club soda
Ponzu dipping sauce:
2 oz mirin
2 oz Soy sauce
1/2 oz ginger
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz sugar
liquid from hijiki
Directions
Whisk together hulled hemp seed, flour and club soda
In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients for ponzu dipping sauce
Dip vegetables in hempura batter and fry at 350°
Recipe courtesy of Denis at Galaxy Global Eatery!
Servings:
Serves 4
Ingredients
Wild Rice Salad:
4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups wild rice
2 ears corn
1 asparagus, diced
1 fennel, diced
1 roasted red pepper, diced
Cumin–Hemp Vinaigrette:
2 T rice vinegar
1 T agave nectar
2 T ground cumin
1/2 cup hemp oil
Salt and pepper
Directions
Cook wild rice in salted water over medium low heat for about 1 hour. Wild rice is properly cooked when the rice grains begin to burst
Separately, place fennel, asparagus and corn in salted water. Cook until tender and then place in ice bath. Remove corn from cob. Combine with diced fennel and asparagus
Oil and season red pepper. Place on open flame and allow the skin to bubble and burn on all sides. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap to allow the pepper to steam. After 20 minutes, peel skin away and discard. Dice pepper and mix together with other vegetables.
Combine rice vinegar, agave, cumin in a blender. Slowly add hemp oil and allow to emulsify.
Mix vinaigrette with rice-vegetable mixture. Serve room temperature
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
10 muffins
Preparation Time
Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes.
Cook Time: approx. 20 Minutes.
Ready in: approx. 35 Minutes.
Ingredients
1/2 cups all–purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all–purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup hulled hemp seed
Directions
The crumb topping is what makes these banana muffins stand apart from the ordinary. They're scrumptious!
Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and hulled hemp seed. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
Around 5
Preparation Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups hemp flour
6 Tbsp Corn oil
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
salt and pepper
Directions
Combine flours, salt and pepper and cornstarch, add corn oil and rub into flour with fingers untl it resembles small peas.
Add warm water a little at a time until the mixture forms a ball not to wet or dry.
Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll out thin and fry in a lighly oiled pan for 2 minutes each side.
Hempy and crispy.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
500g
Preparation Time
20 minutes
Directions
Start with 2 cups of hemp seed. Lightly toast them in the oven. Mix in 6 tbsp of sea salt.
Add a little cayenne pepper to taste.
Makes a nice addition to any meal.
Recipe courtesy of Eric at CHII
Servings:
A room of movie watchers
Preparation Time
10 minutes
Directions
Pop a cup of pop corn in an air popper.
To the bowl of pop corn add:
A liberal amount of hemp oil
Nutritional yeast
Balsamic vinager (just a little)
Sea salt to taste
Immune Boosting pop corn!
Covering up with hemp
Hemp textiles and apparel are one of the most enduring and ancient uses of hemp and one of the most well known.
Well–made hemp garments are known to last for years. Hemp fabric is naturally resistant to UV light, mold and mildew, and if treated, to salt water (for centuries hemp was used for the sails and rigging on ocean–going ships). It also is a very breathable fabric and naturally comfortable.
Compared to cotton, which cannot be grown in Canada, hemp is stronger and requires less toxic chemicals and fresh water to grow and manufacture. In recent years, it has become a popular practice to blend hemp with other fabrics, notably with organic cotton, which adds a stretch to the strength of hemp as well a pleasant softness. Hemp has also been blended with linen with comfortable results.
For these reasons, hemp garments will remain a “traditional” use of hemp fibre in the modern world.
While hemp is grown across Canada, there is currently no domestic manufacturing of hemp fabrics because of technical and trade reasons. Most textiles are imported for China or eastern Europe, and the garments are fabricated domestically. “Dirt to shirt” hemp garment production in Canada may be a feasible ambition, as new technologies are refined and become available, which will optimize the costs of production and as well, produce even better and more desirable fibres.
Hemp textiles and garments are found in casual wear, such as caps, hats, shirts, trousers and sweaters, as well as designer garments, with hemp selected specifically for its exceptional utilities. If made with care and quality, hemp fabric can satisfy the most demanding of manufacturers.
Hemp for body care, naturally
Hemp is well known for being good for the body whether you eat it, or you use it in a soap, hair care or cosmetic product. Based on hemp oil, natural cosmetics and body care items were among the first grown–in–Canada products to be made widely available to the North American public.
The gamut of healthy hemp body products include shampoos, conditioner, hand & body lotions, bath and massage oil, moisturizing cream, and lip balms.
As hemp seed oil is one of the world’s richest sources of polyunsaturated fats, including both of the essential fatty acids (Omega–3 and Omega–6) and GLA (gamma linolenic acid), it is an excellent natural emollient and moisturizer. Body care products containing hemp seed oil can reduce skin discomfort by soothing and restoring dry or damaged skin. They also increase the skin’s natural ability to retain moisture.
With regular use, body care products containing hemp seed oil can help slow down the effects of skin aging and leave the skin smooth, soft and moisturized.
Some of the most popular hemp body care products include:
Hemp Soap
Hemp soap is made by many different companies, ranging from international chains to cottage soap makers selling direct at farmer’s markets. There is excellent diversity and some very nice choices for the consumer. Hemp soaps are available in bar and liquid forms, utilizing a range of very interesting and pleasurable recipes.
Hair Care
Hemp seed oil provides the proper balance of essential nutrients needed for strong healthy hair. Hair is often damaged and stripped of its natural lipid coating by harsh shampoos, leaving hair dry, brittle and lacking luster. In hair care products, hemp seed oil imparts gloss and manageability to hair, bringing relief from dry scalp or hair damage by blow–dryer heat, chemical perms, colouring or sunlight.
Lip Balm
Hemp lip balm is a very popular choice to smooth and moisturize dry, chapped and cracked lips; now used by snowboarders, athletes, resource workers and lovers worldwide.
Fibre · Building
Materials · Specialty Papers ·
Biodiesel/Fiel · Other Uses
Hemp fibre – a champion of natural fibres
Hemp fibre is a bast fibre similar to flax, kenaf, jute and ramie. All bast fibre plants have long slender primary fibres (bast fibres) on the outer portion of the stalk as well as wood–like inner core fibres.
The technical characteristics of hemp fibre leads to its use in innovative as well as traditional fibre products.
Bast fibres are usually used for textiles (including carpets and clothing) and industrial uses, such as geotextiles, erosion control blankets, and composite reinforcements and fillers – the largest biggest current and future use for hemp fibre. The high strength and economical features of hemp fibre make it a sought after replacement for fiberglass and synthetics in a range of molded composites including: car parts, construction materials and also consumer goods.
Advantages of using hemp for fibre in industry include: excellent physical properties in strength and modulus, cost effectiveness in composite and paper applications and increasing availability. A wide range of fibre formats and qualities are now possible. Hemp fibres can be fabricated to be lighter, stronger and cheaper than fiberglass.
The wood–like inner core fibre of the hemp plant can be used for animal bedding (animals don’t eat it and it is highly absorbent), garden mulch, and an assortment of building materials such as hempcrete.
Hemp’s use in industry is also attractive because it can be grown and manufactured in accordance with sustainable and ecological principles.
The economic reality of hemp is that hemp cannot necessarily compete with waste products (wood, straw, stover etc.) on price. Products such as biofuels or Medium Density Fiberboard are technically possible, but competitively cost–challenged. Hemp is valued between 4–10 times that of waste fibres so it must find its way to the right products markets and products.
However, with the rising cost of resources worldwide, hemp is becoming more economically competitive. In particular, hemp could replace many bioproducts of petroleum, including plastics and composites products.
A processing challenge for the hemp industry has been that while every other industry has developed since 1938, hemp has not had the chance or the funding to develop the infrastructure to process the harvested raw material into usable and valuable raw materials. Establishing commercial processing for hemp fibres is, in some ways, a game of catch up.
Building Materials
Hemp cements, or hempcretes, made from mixes of core fibre and minerals such as lime and sand, have been used in construction throughout Europe as an alternative to concrete. Knowledge of the technique is not yet widespread in North America. Access to suitable clean fibre in affordable amounts has been another issue. Hemp bales have also been used in straw baling. Hemp fiberboard and insulation can also be manufactured but is not commercially produced and must be imported. As a concrete replacement, hemp is held to be superior in insulation values, strength, and breathability. Given growing North American demand for energy efficient and eco homes, these aspects of hemp are exciting.
Specialty Papers
Using hemp for paper relieves pressure on forests, and helps protect habitat and wildlife. Hemp has low lignin content; depending on grade and process, pulping hemp can require less bleach, a major pulp pollutant in the water supply. Hemp fibres also add longer life to recycled fibres, likely the biggest potential use of hemp in the paper sector in the future.
Biodiesel / Fuel
Hemp could be used to produce alternative including biodiesel and ethanol. Seed, straw and chaff can all be used, though the process varies depending on which feedstock is used. There is technical debate on the viability of using hemp seed for this application. Hemp seed is high valued, so cost is also not attractive. As hemp is a biomass champion, using the cellulose as a source of the sugars used in creating alternative fuels has greater potential. There is arguably greater potential with hemp biomass to create energy for power plants and industry.
Other Uses
Hemp is grown and processed into an increasing number of uses. Currently the Canadian hemp industry’s focus is on industrial fibres and hemp seed products. Because of large availability of other fibres, perceived costs of production & hemp’s limited acreage to date, hemp is not widely used for many potential products, despite the strong technical benefits. However, as research, design and testing cycles progress, and commercial applications are proven, some of hemp’s other many other uses will be manifested.
Briefly, other interesting uses of hemp worth highlighting include:
Atmosphere
With plant heights reaching 15’ or more, and large biomass yields, hemp captures high amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. This carbon will be stored in the fibres of the plant. Because of its deep tap root, hemp may also be superior to many other crops in terms of soil sequestration. If hemp fibre is processed into durable, long lasting products, the carbon captured will be retained for the lifespan of the product. For these reasons, hemp could emerge as very important in addressing issues of climate change by acting as a carbon sink: in both the field and in finished industrial and consumer products.
Soil Health
Hemp helps clean up soil by bonding heavy metals to the fibre; some environmental engineers are using it for phytoremediation. Hemp has also been used as a plough down or green manure crop to add Organic Matter to the soil. In terms of crop rotation hemp’s deep root helps aerate the soil if the hemp follows a shallow–rooted row crop: and if left in the field, the leaves from the plant can also add organic matter to benefit soil building and soil life.
