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#CanolaConnect Harvest Camp in Manitoba with Canola Eat Well

October 18, 2015 | by sean

Branding and Buzzing partners, Marian Staresinic and Sean Beckingham, got to go to camp! But unlike the ones you remember as a child, this one upped the stakes. Hosted by the Canola Eat Well it was a packed weekend full of farm life, family relationships and fantastic food!

Fellow campers included Michael Allemeier (Culinary Educator SAIT), Amy Bronee (Blogger,Culinary Instructor), Ashley Fehr (Teacher, Blogger), Trina Gallop Blank (Chief Content Officer at Will Cook for Shoes), Pooja Mansukhani (Aramark Canada- District Dietitian), Matt Dean Pettit (Chef & Owner Rock Lobster Food Co.), Zannat Reza (Culinary/Media Dietitian), and Nita Sharda (Carrots and Cake Balanced Nutrition Consulting).

Eat Well Canola Oil Campers

Our gracious hosts and camp leaders included Simone Demers-Collins (Alberta Canola Producers), Jennifer Dyck (Manitoba Canola Growers), Lori Dyck (Manitoba Canola Growers), Ellen Pruden (Manitoba Canola Growers), and Johanne Ross (Agriculture in the Classroom- Manitoba).

In its 4th year of hosting Harvest Camp, the aim of the #CanolaConnect trip was to grow awareness for the #FarmtoFood conversation. The experience not only focused on canola, but how the province provides an abundance of vegetables, honey, wheat, cattle and bison.

Along with authors and health experts, Chef Matt Dean Pettit of Rock Lobster Food Co., Marian and Sean took a journey into all things delicious; from heading to Mayfair Farms, to feast on a lavish lunch, a stroll through cauliflower and cabbage patchs, to tasting the sweetest of honeys at Wendell Estates.

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

Canola oil comes from the crushed seeds of the canola plant. It’s part of the Brassica family whose relatives include cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower. Canola oil is also incredibly healthy and versatile. It has the least saturated fat (half that of olive oil) and the most plant-based omega-3 fat of all cooking oils. There are zero trans fat and sources of vitamin E and K. And unlike oils that scorch at higher temperatures, canola’s smoke point is 468F/ 242C!

And Pen-Dale Farms knows all about the value of Canola oil. Last year alone, they grew 591,500 litres on their farm! But not only that, they grow a variety of crops including wheat for over 6 million loaves of whole wheat bread, soybeans for 96,000 pounds of tofu, malting barley for almost 7 million bottles of beer, and oats for 1,462,000 boxes of Cheerios.

Did you know that Manitoba farmers grown 7.5 million hockey rinks worth of canola each year?! It is Incredible how it has become one of the most used oils in the world.

Marian, Sean and the rest of the campers got to interact with some large furry critters. The Miller family has been raising bison humanely & without the use of antibiotics and hormones for 24 years. It’s a family affair and the business and operated by Lorne, his wife Louise and their two sons.

Camp ended on a sweet note which included a visit to Wendell Estates Honey. They produce some of the finest honeys in the world. Why? The bees are happy! They’re cared for by the Wendell family and they have plenty of expertise to boot. The operation was founded in the 1940 and today boasts over 3500 beehives.

Did you know that canola is good for bees as well? Yes! Canola flowers produce a high amount of nectar that bees adore. The sugar profile makes for fantastic honey production.