license), regardless of its THC content. The many hemp products we sell in the United States are produced either outside of the country or by sterilized seeds, oil, and fiber grown outside of the country.
Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds are a rich source of phytonutrients and a nutritious source of easily digested protein, providing 20 amino acids, including all nine essential amino acids and essential fatty acids with balanced omega 3s and omega 6s. Seeds are eaten whole, ground into a paste, ground into nut butter (like peanut butter), used in protein shakes, made into hemp milk, and squeezed for oil.
Hemp Oil for Food
Hemp oil is also highly nutritious. Its nutty flavor makes it a good ingredient for salad dressings, mayonnaise, and dips. It is not recommended as frying oil, due to loss of nutrients at high heat. Fresh hemp oil needs to be refrigerated and used within six months.
Hemp Milk
Hemp milk is made by blending hemp seeds with water, straining the pulp, and adding a sweetener, if desired. The result is a delicious beverage chock-full of healthy
nutrients including potassium; phosphorus; riboflavin; vitamins A, E, B12, and D; folic acid, magnesium, iron, and zinc; omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in correct proportion, essential amino acids, and protein. One 9-ounce glass provides 46% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium. Once again, nature provides an incredible food.
Hemp Fiber
Industrial hemp plants are grown close together, resulting in long straight stalks with a high leafy canopy. The plant is naturally insect resistant and the leaf canopy inhibits growth of weeds, so insecticides and herbicides are not needed. Though it is often said that fertilizers are not needed, recent research suggests liberal fertilization results in maximum production; however, when the stalks are cut, deep roots are left in the soil and flowering tops are left to decompose in the field as well, providing nutrients for the soil.
Acre per acre as a fiber producing plant, hemp produces 200% times the yield of cotton, without the chemicals required by cotton production. (Cotton production uses fully half of all the chemicals used in agriculture worldwide.) And the short growth cycle, 100-120 days, allows for quick
production.
The long stalks of the hemp plant produce strong fibers up to five or more feet in length (compared to tree fibers, which are only inches long). The length of the fibers creates strength in the end product, be it cloth, paper, or plastic. For thousands of years hemp fibers have been used to create fishing nets, hammocks, canvas, sails for sailing ships, rope, string, cloth, paper, and more. In the age of the sailing ships, canvas sails were made of hemp as were the ropes outfitting each rig. Hemp was a common source for clothing. Hemp canvas and cloth were recycled into strong, resilient paper.
Hemp Textiles
From the dawn of civilization, hemp has been used to make cloth and clothing. Today hemp is used to make a variety of textiles and items including clothing, sheets, towels, bath mats, shower curtains, rugs, tablecloths, place mats, and backpacks. The cloth produced is defined by the methods of both cultivation and production. Hemp cloth may be as fine as silk or linen, or as coarse as canvas tarp.
Hemp clothing is more absorbent and provides more insulation than cotton, keeping the wearer warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The fibers are superior at
Hemp
Issue 5 | April/May 2010