Rapeseed Oil
Rapeseed oil comes from oilseed rape, a root vegetable and cousin of mustard cabbage. The name is derived from the Old English term for turnip rapum. And yes, it comes from those yellow fields you can see in late spring.We sow it in late August on our farm in County Louth, by April the yellow flowers on the plant make it easy to spot . We harvest the crop in late July, then clean and dry it.To extract the natural oil from the seed, it is squeezed in a mechanical press without the addition of any chemicals or heat. Cold pressed means that the composition of the oil isn’t altered by heating. It isn’t the most efficient process but this oil isn’t about efficiency it’s about taste and purity. The oil that is extracted is titally natural.The seed husk that is left over is called cake and this is mixed with other cereals into a safe and nutritious animal feed or some people use it in their solid fuel burners since it is a very low carbon renewable fuel.
The oil has delicious earthy, nutty taste –it is suitable in dressings, stir fry, roasting, dunking.
Compared to olive oil it has half of the saturated fat and a much higher natural omega 3 content, the one in our diet that is often lacking.
