We have a new vendor in our HFM Family! Ole World Oils is a family business based out of Eastern Washington committed to selling a healthy, sustainable product. They are currently the 5th generation of land stewards who are committed to improving the ecology of the land by diversifying the crop mix. No chemicals or pesticides are used in the production of the crop. I asked for a bit of history on the oil and also what makes their oils so unique? Here’s what they said:
Camelina is an Ole World Oil Seed that was used 3500 years ago, before early Roman times. From the times of the Roman Empire to World War II, camelina oil was an “everyday” oil, especially in Germany, Scandinavia and Russia. Because margarine cannot be easily made from camelina oil it became somewhat of a forgotten oil crop. With Camelina Gold, our family does everything from start to finish. We’ve farmed for over 100 years outside of Ritzville, Washington. The camelina oil process includes planting the seed, harvesting it, cold pressing it, bottling it, and then finally marketing our oil through farmers markets and natural food stores.
Our camelina oil is unique in that it is raw, naturally filtered, contains 101 % of the daily recommended allowance per tablespoon for Vitamin E, sustains a very long shelf life of 2 years, and has a high heat tolerance of up to 475 degrees. Our oil has been tested at the University of Idaho at 35% omega 3’s, which makes it important because our diets are lacking in omega 3’s today. It has an omega 3 (35%)to omega 6 (18%) ratio of 2:1. A great alternative to fish oil supplements!
What are the different uses for camelina oil?
Camelina oil is a great tasting, healthy and useful alternative to olive oil. It can be used to replace any oil in a recipe that you would normally use. With the high smoke point, it’s best for stir frying, browning meat and tofu nicely, roasting veggies such as asparagus on the grill or in the oven, in a salad dressing – or just by itself as a dressing since the oil is in the mustard/broccoli family. It’s also great for roasting almonds in the oven or adding to your smoothies and drinks to get omega 3’s in your diet. The oil can also be applied directly on the skin for a lotion since it has so much vitamin E. We have some companies on the coast that put it in their cosmetics. What’s in the works for your company down the road?
Curt is a retired agriculture teacher and current farmer, son Travis, a Senior Economist who studied the oil for a company, and Tyler, who is a field man who does test plots with camelina. They all have been busy promoting the oil in their area and expertise. There was a recent phone call with the FDA to get a GRAS certification with the oil so that we could add our oil to other products.
Stop by and sample some delicious oil, and welcome Ole World Oils to our market this Saturday!
by Erin Houlihan, HFM volunteer
