Let Them Eat Hemp! Your Guide To This Now-Legal Food

Eat hemp and hemp foods in Australia

We can now eat hemp? Are you serious?

You may have heard the good news that it will be legal to eat hemp in Australia as of 12 November 2017. This is indeed great news as hemp really is a wonder food that can be used in baking, smoothies, making hemp milk, and even for body building. Due to it being from the same plant as Marijuana, hemp has sometimes received a bad rap. Food grade hemp in the form of seeds, oil and powder contains little to no levels of THC, the ingredient that makes you high. Hemp food products in Australia are safe and will not show THC in drug tests. So what's the big deal with this food? Hemp is a truly wonderful source of protein, in a form that is very well assimilated by the body. This is particularly good news for vegans. It also boosts the immune system by helping to build immunoglobulins, helps to heal musculoskeletal injuries and is an excellent source of soluble and insoluble fibre. Sounds good right? Shop hemp food here >

So how exactly do you eat hemp?

As a food source hemp will be available to eat as a powder, seeds and oil. Hemp protein powder is a great addition to smoothies, yoghurt, cereal or fruit. It has a mild taste that blends well with most flavours. It is made by cold-pressing whole hemp seeds which separates the seed from the oil. As certified organic producer Hemp Foods states, ‘a very fine powder is produced by cold milling and sieving, a natural process that does not use heat, chemicals or solvents.' It is truly a protein powder and not hemp flour. It is high in all the essential amino acids, but in a form that helps the immune system more than other protein powders. Hemp protein brownies are particularly good. As opposed to whey or soy protein, hemp protein is completely natural and is a product of a sustainable industry. Hemp Flour Replace approximately 25% of the flour in baked goods with hemp flour to make bread, pasta, pancakes and biscuits, or add to soup stock, salad dressings, nut butters and burgers. Hemp oil Organic virgin, cold-pressed hemp seed oil until now was only been approved for use in skin and hair care. It can now be used much like olive oil and added to salad dressings, pasta, vegetables. As it has a low smoke point it should only be used cold. A great thing is that hemp oil contains omega 3 and 6 but tastes much better than flax seed oil. Hemp seeds have a delicious, nutty flavour and are a great addition to cooking and baking. Chock full of amazing nutrients, hemp seeds can be added to salads, smoothies or treats such as chocolate coconut balls, muesli bars or smoothies.

What is the difference between Hemp Flour and Hemp Protein Powder?

Hemp flour is produced by extracting the oil from raw hemp seeds leaving a substance called hemp seed cake, which is then milled and turned into hemp flour powder. Whereas, Hemp Protein Powder the flour is further sifted to remove much of the fibre content and a more concentrated protein. Hemp flour is a high fibre, but lower protein and is cheaper than Hemp Protein powder. Hemp Flour is also called Hemp Bran.

Eat Hemp Recipes

The figtreeblog.com has some great recipes such as this:

Double Chocolate Coconut Energy Bites

Prep Time 15 mins Total time 15 mins Yield 25 energy bites Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of rolled oats
  • ¾ cup unsweetened coconut
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cacao powder
  • ½ cup of unsweetened almond butter
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoons hemp seeds
  • ¼ cup of cacao nibs
Method:
  1. Add the rolled oats, cacao powder, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the oats/seeds become a course meal.
  2. Pour in the pure maple syrup, almond butter and pure vanilla extract. Pulse 2-3 times to combine.
  3. Mix in the chia seeds, hemp seeds and cacao nibs. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the mixture appears too thick. Place energy bite mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes so that the dough is easier to roll.
  4. Scooped out one heaped teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball with your hands. Continue with all the remaining dough.
  5. Store in air-tight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.
The following recipe is from Hemp Foods Australia

Hemp Milk Recipe

Hemp milk is raw, vegan and gluten free and more nutritious than other milks. Ingredients:
  • 100g Organic Hemp Seeds
  • 25g Organic Almonds
  • 1-2 tsp Cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 drop Organic Vanilla Extract
Method:
  1. Soak ingredients in 250ml water for 24 hours. No need to heat.
  2. Blend all ingredients thoroughly using a high powered blender.
  3. Add a further 250ml water.
  4. Add the Cinnamon and Vanilla.
  5. Blend again.
  6. Filter through a muslin cloth or nut milk bag (the residue can be dried and used as high protein flour in other recipes).
  7. Chill for at least one hour.
Keeps for 2-3 days. Have fun with these ideas on how to eat hemp and use in cooking. We would be very interested to hear of your experiences.

Buy Hemp Food

Shop Biome's range of hemp products here > Image thanks to thefigtreeblog.com
Back to blog

New arrivals

1 of 12