Hemp North FAQs
Hemp is a wonder crop and it was grown in the UK over 100 years ago mainly for fibre for ropes and canvas. It’s been recorded to have been around for over 6 000 years and can be used to make food, plastic, oil, paper, fuel and clothing, so why are we not using it more? Well, it is more commonly known as Cannabis – and has been massively discriminated against because of it being confused with the narcotic variety of cannabis.
It’s a slightly nutty sweet earthy flavour, not too overpowering so goes well with sweet and savoury dishes. It’s a good replacement for nuts, but without any of the allergen issues you might find with other nuts.
Hemp hearts are the most versatile ingredient that I have ever come across – it’s basically a nut-free nut.. (In a nutshell) but with no allergens and the shell off.
You can use it to replace any dry goods but have to bare in mind that it does contain 40% oil, so great for adding moisture to bakes.
You can whizz them up in a blender to make dairy-free milk, or cream which is great in smoothies or vegan sauces.
Or the most common use is to sprinkle them on your breakfast or superfood bowls, or as a great garnish to salads or veg.
But if you still dont know how to use them.. Dont worry we have plenty of recipes here.
No. The strain of hemp that we grow contains less than 0.2% THC (the stuff that gets you high). Also, all the Cannabinoids such as THC and CBD are found in the flowering head and leaves not in the seed which is what we use.
CBD (Cannabidiol) and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) are both cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. Though similar in structure and what they may help treat, the most important difference is that THC will cause a person to experience a high while CBD will not. There are more than 100 other cannabinoids that have been identified in the plant.
Hemp is amazing for the planet for so many reasons – here is a short list of the main ones:
– Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet – along with bamboo – and it has amazing properties to absorb large quantities of CO2 out of the atmosphere – 4x as much co2 as the same amount of forest land. As an idea – 1 hectare of hemp can serquest 15 tons of CO2!
– Hemp has developed a natural resistance to pests and can outgrow any weeds which means it requires no pesticides or herbicides to help it to grow.
– Its Tall structures and lack of the chemicals that kill off pests and weeds allow a great refuge for wildlife and other vegetation. Especially Bees and Birds.
– All this helps promote Good soil health, alongside us mulching a lot of the unused plant back into the soil providing great organic matter, which helps the restoration of our soil that has been raped of nutrients in recent years. The long tap roots also help aerate the soil and improve water drainage which also helps the soil quality.
Later we hope to be able to use this fibre and leaves and the whole plant will be used, so nothing is wasted.
Hemp seeds boast a powerhouse of nutrition and have a remarkable digestible protein content of about 35%. But this is not just any protein – they are the biologically active proteins of Edestin and Albumin which the human body is able to utilise much more effectively than structural proteins found in other foods for example beef at 25% protein. Hemp is very high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and very low in saturated fat. Hemp seeds stand out even amongst some of the best-known health foods, because they contain what is considered to be the perfect ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 for the human body (around 3 to 1).
We can go on, but I really encourage anyone with an interest in healthy foods or nutrition, particularly plant-based proteins.. to look into hemp seeds.
We have our in-house nutritionist speaking about these further and the benefits for you.
These are essential fatty acids, meaning the body cant produce them itself so we have to find ways of getting it into us. They can help you in so many ways including helping to maintain good cardiovascular health. They protect the heart, help to maintain lean body mass, and maintain brain function. They can also help your hair nails and skin – to find out more you can read what our in-house nutritionist has to say about fats here.
Our hemp is technically organically grown in the sense that it doesn’t use any herbicides or pesticides, but because we are based on a conventional farm, we are not certified organic as the whole farm would need to be organic. This is a very strict expensive process with the Soil Association.
We are in the process of taking on more farms as we grow, and are in discussions with organic farms to grow for us. So may bring out an organic range in the near future.
But for now, we are not organic but do get all of our hemp seeds and product lab-tested for nutrition and quality.
No, The cannabinoids of hemp are found in the flower head or leaves of the plant, and although our hemp contains high amounts of CBD, only the shells of the seed may hold a trace amount of CBD leaving the hemp hearts completely CBD-free.
As you may have heard you can make ropes, fabrics, and plastics out of the fibre of the plant. We currently do not have the machinery or operations to be able to do this; as of yet. Hopefully one day we hope to be able to expand our operations.
We are in conversations with other companies to be able to use our stalks, but unfortunately, UK law will not allow us to sell the leaves or flowers of the plant. But watch this space and join our community as we are at the forefront of this change.
Yes, we are really excited about bringing a whole range or products from the seed. We currency have the hemp hulls that are great for pillow fillers and soil conditioning. We are really excited about pressing the seeds for oil, which will open up a whole array of products from a food grade oil as an alternative to olive oil. The oils can also be used in cosmetics for soaps and balms with incredible benefits for your skin. So watch this space for more producvts to be added to our shelves soon.
Hemp is much like any other plant and has different strains that grow in different conditions. Our hemp variety was developed in Finland and grows really well up in the north of the uk with our long summer days absorbing all thats sunlight to create strong big plants and nutritious yummy hearts.
Variety is the spice of life – and I enjoy adding it to various dishes. I love the process of discovering new and improved dishes.. But if i had to choose. I think the hemp flapjacks are amazing! The healthy hemp helps balance out the naughty sugars, and the oil in the hearts just make them extra goey 🙂
I think I can answer this on behalf of both of us.. I think it was the realisation that this is a wonder crop that was.. For the matter of silly reasons removed from our cultivation. We truly believe this to have a massive comeback as it is naturally evolved over 1000s of years to be in symbiotic existence with humans. Once we discovered all of the other amazing benefits that kept appearing like green ticks in ones mind eye, i think its no surprise that we are excited about growing this plant.