Re: RC: Flax seed

[Lynn Kinsky <lkinsky@silcom.com>]

>Hi, Campers,
>
> Isn't canola oil made from flax seed? If so, is there any reason one
>couldn't put a glop in the the feed instead of corn oil? Or in addition to
>corn oil?
>
>Michelle and Jordan (mom, too much corn oil will make my COB turn into
>popcorn!)

No, it's a Brassica.  To quote the Canola Growers site:

>Canola is a genetically altered form of rapeseed which is comprised of two
>species: Brassica rapa, known as Polish canola; and Brassica napus, known
>as Argentine canola in Canada.
>Until the early 1990s, Brassica rapa was referred to as Brassica
>campestris. The difference in species' name arose from an error in
>classification made by the 18th Century father of taxonomy, Carolus
>Linnaeus. He named the turnip producing Brassica species B. rapa - rapa
>being Latin for root. Linnaeus later discovered a related plant which he
>believed was different from B. rapa. He gave this vegetable oil-producing
>plant the name B. campestris. A review of his classification by
>taxonomists in the late 20th Century found that the two plants in fact
>belonged to the same species and were cross-fertile. Since Brassica rapa
>was the name first associated with the species, the decision was made to
>eliminate the use of the term Brassica campestris in favour of Brassica
>rapa.
>Both the B. rapa and B. napus species belong to the Cruciferae (mustard)
>family. The mustard family consists of about 3,000 species of plants found
>mainly in the northern hemisphere. The name crucifer originates from the
>arrangement of the plants' flower petals - diagonally opposite each other
>in the form of a cross. Many Brassica species have been cultivated since
>prehistoric times for their edible roots, stems, leaves, buds, flowers and
>seeds. Members of the B. rapa species provide the turnip, the Chinese
>cabbage and canola oil. Within the B. napus species, plants have been
>developed which produce the rutabaga and canola oil.
>Rapeseed is closely related to other Brassica species like cabbage,
>cauliflower, kale, and brown and oriental mustard. The relationships have
>important implications for plant breeders who work with canola, since they
>provide wide sources of genetic features to work with.

OTOH,  there doesn't seem to be any reason not to use it in place of corn
oil -- other than the price is generally higher.

Lynn Kinsky (Santa Ynez, CA)
http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky
Cachuma River Romp NATRC Ride:   http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky/Cachuma/



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