Homegrown Hemp aspires to be Soybean of New Millennium

Legend has it that Buddha ate a hempseed a day for six years on the path to enlightenment.

The Chinese snack on roasted hempseeds in what was once called the land of mulberry and
hemp. Polish bakers put the seeds in holiday sweets. Russians grind them into gruel.
Australians reportedly ate themthrough two famines.

Now Canadians are discovering that you can wear your hemp and eat it, too.

And no, you won't get high from eating seeds from the Cannabis sativa plant - they're
perfectly legal and have, at most, trace amounts of THC, marijuana's psychoactive property.

``The comparison now is to using poppy seeds in bagels,''
explains Ontario Hemp Alliance president David Marcus.
``There are no opiates in poppy seeds and no THC in hempseeds.''

Get beyond hemp's ``giggle factor'' and you'll discover tasty seeds, nuts, oil and flour.

``The oil has a very distinct, nutty taste that's close to walnut oil - it has the same
bouquet,'' offers Daniel Clairet of Toronto's Daniel Et Daniel Catering.
``It's really light and interesting, and I love the green colour.''

Clairet makes pesto using hempseed nuts (hulled seeds) instead of pine nuts, duck
confit and arugula crepes using forest green hemp flour, and drizzles beef carpaccio with
hemp oil.

Hemp oil is really healthy, he says. ``A lot of people want to watch their cholesterol and this
oil is like flaxseed oil. It's also very Canadian and has a lot of potential.''

Indeed. The hearty annual plant is well-suited to Canada's climate. Health Canada granted
271 hemp-growing licences last year (about 50 in Ontario), and farmers worked with about
12,000 acres.

Culinary entrepreneurs are taking it one step further, convincing health food stores
and some supermarkets to carry their hemp-based salad dressings, tortilla chips,
tortillas, waffles, cookies and ice cream along with the raw ingredients. There's even hemp
beer at stores and on tap.

Hemp oil is being touted as a tasty and healthy alternative to flaxseed oil.
Advocates champion hempseed as the next soybean because of its nutritional
profile, the fact it's not genetically modified and the way the crop is grown in
Canada without herbicides and pesticides.

But is the hype deserved, or is hemp just a high-priced novelty ingredient?

The alliance, and other industry sources, say this about hemp's nutritional
profile:

Hempseeds (sold whole, roasted or toasted) are about 25 to 30 per cent
protein and high in essential fatty acids, which the body needs to keep cell
membranes working well. They're 30 to 35 per cent oil, and contain the rare
gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).

Hulled hempseed nuts (which taste like sunflower seeds and look like sesame
seeds) are protein-rich and said to be more digestible than soybeans.

Hempseed oil is about 80 per cent polyunsaturated fats. It's rich in Omega 6,
Omega 3 (other sources are fish and flax oils) and GLA.

Hemp flour is gluten-free.

``The oil's unique from the standpoint that it does have GLA in it, like primrose
or borage oils,'' confirms nutrition professor David Kitts of University of British
Columbia. ``But there's so much that's unknown about the oil, especially the
stability and shelf life.''

Kitts and a graduate student have been studying hemp oil for about 10
months. ``I think there's a lot of potential, but it needs a lot more work.''

Canada's hemp history dates back to 1606, when the first crop in North America
was planted for fibre in what's now Nova Scotia. Canada banned commercial
hemp production under the Opium and Narcotics Control Act from 1938 until
1998, when Health Canada okayed the commercial cultivation of hemp (it had
allowed research crops for several years before that).

In the 1990s, hemp food pioneers imported low-quality seed from China and
began experimenting with recipes. Now, licensed farmers can grow approved
Cannabis sativa varieties with low THC content. (THC is found in the plant's
flowers, buds and leaves, but can rub on to the shell of the seeds.)

Marijuana has 5 to 15 per cent THC, while Canadian hemp crops must contain
less than 0.3 per cent THC and face random tests. Hempseed must be tested
again to ensure they contain less than 10 parts per million THC (0.00001 per
cent). Although hemp food is legal, Health Canada won't rule out the possibility
someone could test positive for THC after eating it.

``The challenge is to utilize the huge awareness factor about hemp and shift
perceptions to the positive side of hemp, and to hemp food in particular,''
admits Greg Herriott, president/founder of Hempola Valley Farms near Barrie.
``What's nice to see in Canada is that giggle factor diminishing.''

Herriott cold-presses hempseed into oil at a farm that welcomes visitors. He
markets his premium products to the health-conscious market.

Hempola's Omega Prima oil retails for about $20 for an attractive, 375-millilitre
bottle. Three salad dressings sell for about $6.50 per 250-millilitre bottle.
(They'll be sampled at Pusateri's Fine Foods in Toronto Jan. 31 to Feb. 4).
Hemp flour sells for $3.49 for a one-pound bag.

There are hemp cooking rules.

Heavy, protein-rich hemp flour (which sells in bulk for about $1.75 a pound)
shouldn't make up more than one-third of any recipe's flour requirement. It
lends a hearty, nutty flavour - and green tinge - to pancakes, cr*pes, cookies
and desserts.

Hemp oil is sensitive to heat, light and oxygen and should be refrigerated. It
shouldn't be heated above 215F, and like flax shouldn't be used to fry or
saut*. But it can be added to pastas, smoothies, dips, dressings and soups.

Hempseeds - which sell in bulk for about $7.34 a pound - can be tossed into
salads, cookies, grains, yogurt and cereal, but not everyone likes the thin,
crunchy shell. Chefs prefer the dehulled hempseed nuts, which sell for about $9
for a 227-gram bag.

While cottage industry hemp businesses dish up cookies, ice cream, granola or
hemp bars, Ruth's Hemp Foods Inc. of Toronto offers an entire food line.
President Ruth Shamai makes three kinds of tortilla chips (about $3.25 per
180-gram bag), hemp and whole-wheat wraps, three salad dressings (about $5
per 355-millilitre bottle) and several high-fibre pastas.

Shamai believes her expanding line taps into converging market trends: the
desire to adopt a more plant-based diet, and the need for ready-made food.
``To me, just because it's hemp isn't reason to use it. There is a really great
reason to eat hemp, and that's because it tastes good.''

Jo-Anne Wilson agrees. As editor of The Hemp Cook Book ($5 from the
alliance), she experimented to find recipes showcasing versatile hemp.

``I'm particularly fond of the nut - it's so creamy. You just know it's an
ingredient that should be part of a kitchen. You could almost consider hemp as
gourmet cuisine, but I think it could be part of the mainstream.''

The alliance's Marcus, who runs hemp research and consulting group Natural
Hemphasis, predicts ``you're going to find hempseed and hempseed oil
popping up on menus all over the place, initially as a novelty and then,
increasingly, as standard fare.''

Several hemp cookbooks exist. The alliance's new offering competes with The
Hemp Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, $45.95), a lush hardcover by Germans Ralf
Hiener, Bettina Mack, Matthias Schillo and Stefan Wirner. American Todd
Dalotto offers The Hemp Cookbook: From Seed To Shining Seed (Healing Arts
Press, $22.95).

Manhattan's Galaxy Global Eatery promotes hemp as an ingredient in
everything from ice cream to coffee, but there's no Canadian counterpart yet.

What Toronto lacks in hemp-friendly chefs, it makes up for in Hogtown Brewing
Company's Hemp Beer.

Head brewer Matthew Letki says crushed hempseeds make up about 9 per cent
of the premium cream ale's dry ingredients. ``It adds a really nice, smooth,
mellow, nutty flavour to the beer. We wanted something a little bit out there
that's still interesting with good flavour.''

Most hemp food advocates shy away from marijuana associations as they
struggle for acceptance. Not the World Famous Eastown Pizza chain in London,
Ont. It unabashedly markets The Cheech and Chong hemp pizza. Hempseeds
and oil provide visual appeal to a Mexican-themed pizza loaded with grilled
chicken, ground beef, sour cream, salsa, onions, green olive and two cheeses.

``The whole idea of the name was to do with hemp's relation to marijuana - it's
more connected to young people,'' admits owner Dino Ciccone, who sells about
40 Cheech and Chongs a week. ``The pizza's not one of my best culinary
achievements, but from a marketing standpoint and health perspective, it's got
a lot of mileage.''

Ciccone became hooked on hemp after just one taste and is now an avid
supporter. ``Are we that stupid that we're demonizing the world's perfect plant
from being used more? You've got to take a stand and try to promote it, and
wake people up to hemp.''


Morning Glory Orange Salad

Toronto caterer Daniel Clairet contributed this brunch favourite to the Ontario
Hemp Alliance's new cookbook.

5 seedless oranges
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 head fennel, thinly sliced, fronds discarded
2 tbsp hemp oil
1 tbsp honey
Juice of 2 limes
10 mint leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
2 tbsp hempseed nuts


Peel oranges, section and remove membranes. In medium bowl, combine
oranges, red pepper and fennel.
In small bowl, combine hemp oil, honey, lime juice, mint, peppercorns and
hempseed nut. Pour over orange mixture. Mix well.

Makes 4 servings.


Shrimp Ceviche With Hemp Oil
Also from Daniel Clairet.

2 cups fish stock
24 large shrimp, heads removed, peeled, deveined
1 clove garlic, minced
10 coriander leaves, minced
1 shallot, minced
Juice of 5 lemons
1 1/2 tbsp hemp oil
Salt, pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste


In medium saucepan, bring fish stock to boil. Add shrimp, cook 1 minute.
Remove shrimp from stock with slotted spoon; cool. Discard stock.

In medium bowl, combine garlic, coriander, shallot, lemon juice, hemp oil, salt,
pepper and hot sauce. Add shrimp; mix. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Makes 4 servings.


Hemp Pancakes

Greg Herriott serves these to tour groups at Hempola Valley Farms. Drizzle with
hemp oil and maple syrup.

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup hemp flour
4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tsp hemp oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, sugar and salt.
In medium bowl, combine egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture;
batter will be lumpy.
Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake into
skillet. Cook, turning once, about 3 minutes per side.
Makes 10 pancakes.


Monster Hemp Cookies

Jo-Anne Wilson created these crunchy green cookies while editing the Ontario
Hemp Alliance's cookbook.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 cup hemp flour
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup toasted hempseed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
In medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Stir
in flours, hempseeds, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.
Drop heaping spoonfuls on cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly
browned.
Makes 24.

PHOTOS by Keith Beaty:
1) Hemp Oils - striking color delights and startles cooks.
2) Get Hemp To It - Hempseeds and flour add to cookies, beer, chips, pasta and even waffles.


C. Penn, HIA Exec. Secretary
Hemp Industries Association
PO Box 1080, Occidental, CA 95465
Tel: 707 874 3648 Fax: 707 874 1104
Email: info@thehia.org
http://thehia.org
http://hempstores.com
http://hempembargo.com
http://votehemp.com

Toronto Star
Entertainment/Life
Food
Jennifer Bain
Food writer