Three Farmers Camelina Oil and a Give Away

Three Farmers Camelina Oil and a Give Away

Update: Since The Three Farmers won their bid on Dragon’s Den, I have been getting a lot of questions about this oil. If you are interested in buying some, there is a list of retail outlets on the Three Farmers’ site. Click here to see the list.

Is bright yellow the new olive green? These tiny mustard-coloured seeds are from the Camelina plant. Although popular in Europe since the 1940s, Camelina oil has been commercially available in Canada only since December 2010. I’m no trend spotter, but if I’m right, Camelina might be Canada’s answer to imported extra virgin olive oil. 

Canola (left), Camelina (middle), extra virgin olive oil (right)

Like canola, Camelina is a member of the mustard family, which gives it its sunny, egg-yolky colour. Unlike canola, which is a wonderfully neutral oil, Camelina has a distinct, pleasant taste unique to the plant. It’s hard to pin down  — a bit nutty, with a hint of asparagus, the smell of freshly chopped lettuce and a buttery finish. The nutty flavour develops more when cooked but even cold, this oil has a fresh, earthy appeal that goes well with salad, vegetables and potatoes. It also makes an amazing hummus without the need for tahini.

What makes this oil special? Besides tasting really good, it:

  • Is cold-pressed
  • Is non-GMO (it hasn’t been genetically modified)
  • Contains almost no saturated fat
  • Boasts high levels of omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids
  • Has a high smoke point, making it good for frying
  • Stays liquid when refrigerated (unlike olive oil)
  • Is stable enough to be kept on your kitchen counter
  • Is totally traceable

Traceable? In an effort to connect you with the grower, each bottle can be traced to one of only three Saskatchewan farmers growing Camelina in Canada. Finding the origin of your bottle is easy. Just go online, enter the code on the label and not only will you learn whether Colin, Dan or Ron grew the crop that went into your bottle, you’ll know exactly when the bottle was processed.

I took traceability a step further and tracked down Elysia, the chef who developed the recipes on the Three Farmer website. She’s not just another pretty face. She’s worked in Toronto with Susur Lee, which I found more than a little intimidating. Until I met her. Turns out she’s as sunny and bright as the oil she promotes.

I accosted Elysia last week at Vincenzo’s in Waterloo where she was running a demonstration. If you saw a woman blocking the entrance, gobbling green dipping sauce with a camera slung over her shoulder — that was me.

I was so impressed with her simple basil-garlic-Camelina dipping sauce, I went home and riffed on it, making a pasta dish for two. And I ate the whole thing.

Before I give you the recipe, Three Farmers has generously agreed to give away three 500 mL bottles of their Camelina Oil. To enter, you must live in Canada and either post a comment or tweet me with what you would cook with it should you win. Sound fair?

I’ll select THREE lucky winners (one for each farmer) on Thursday the 22nd.

Okay, now the recipe.

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Pasta Prima Vera with Camelina Oil

Serves 4

  • Pasta of your choice, enough for 4
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp Three Farmers Camelina Oil
  • 4 small shallots
  • 1/2 bunch of fresh basil and stems
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 green pepper*, slivered
  • 1/2 red pepper*, slivered
  • 1 ripe tomato, diced
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • black pepper, freshly ground

Bring a pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, peel garlic and shallots, and place them in a food processor or blender with the basil. While blending, slowly add 1 cup of Camelina oil. Once smooth, season with salt. Set basil sauce aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of Camelina oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the peppers and tomatoes until just tender.

Divide drained pasta onto 4 plates. Spoon sautéd vegetables on top. Drizzle with the basil sauce. Toss lightly, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan. Season with fresh black pepper. Serve immediately.

* If, like my friend Cheryl,  you don’t like peppers, substitute any fresh vegetable such as zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli.

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43 Comments
  • Wendy
    Posted at 12:25h, 15 September

    Yum. I’d drizzle this oil on roasted veggies and also use it to whip up salad dressing.

  • NS Foster
    Posted at 13:16h, 15 September

    OOooo. This means new vinagrette combinations–I kind of collect oils and vinegars like other women collect shoes and purses. I may have an illness lol.

  • Kathryn
    Posted at 13:27h, 15 September

    What a great product.

    At the risk of sounding like a sycophant, I would try it first by making your Pasta Prima Vera with Camelina Oil. I love pasta and this recipe would highlight the flvour of the Camelina oil. That said, I would also try it in my granola as I think a nutty flavour would enchance it.

    Furthermore, I expect that the resident oil aficionado, the GreyCat, will want a taste!

    Completely unrelated: how many OrangeCats share your house? The one on your masthead and the one from WordlessWednesday, although similar do not appear to be the same cat.

    Cheers,

    Kathryn

  • Colin
    Posted at 14:38h, 15 September

    Hi everyone, glad to hear that you are enjoying our oil. It is exciting for us to have the direct connection and know that someone is appreciating and enjoying the beneftis of our hard work. I am reading this from the combine as I wait for truck to dump. thanks to everyone for your interest in our oil, and keep watching, we have more products coming soon.

  • Robin Smart
    Posted at 16:48h, 15 September

    I would fry garlic, onions, mushrooms and zucchini in it. I bet even my veggie phobic hubby would eat that, and it would use up yet another few zucchini.
    Sounds like a great user friendly, multitasking product.
    Cheers,
    Robin

  • Rooksana
    Posted at 17:26h, 15 September

    I was visiting Waterloo this past weekend and also met Elysia!!! The basil Carmelina dip was absolutely delicious 🙂 I loved the flavour of the Carmelina oil.

  • Diane Hewat
    Posted at 17:28h, 15 September

    My family loves nachos, and we are always looking for fresh ways to enjoy them in a healthy way. We often just have salsa and chips. I would use it to make my fresh homemade salsa. This product sounds wonderful

  • Vivian
    Posted at 18:43h, 15 September

    I would definitely make the Pasta Prima Vera recipe you posted with the oil… sounds delicious. I would also use it as a dip for some olive bread to go with it. I have never heard of Carmelina oil, but certainly want to look into this, it sounds wonderful.

  • Sonja
    Posted at 20:11h, 15 September

    I would try it in a simple vinaigrette with baby salad greens so the flavour could shine through.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:40h, 15 September

    I’ve never had anyone read my blog from a combine before — at least not that I know of.

    Love your oil and look forward to hearing about your new products!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:41h, 15 September

    Multi-tasking is a great way to describe this oil. All that’s missing from your veggie fry is a bit of Parmesan cheese. But then again, I’m into almost anything with mushrooms!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:42h, 15 September

    Thanks for backing me up on this one! Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I’m thrilled I can get the oil locally.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:42h, 15 September

    Ooooh, homemade salsa. That would be amazing. Great idea!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:52h, 15 September

    I bet it would be lovely with olive bread. It’s a lovely oil and very versatile.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:53h, 15 September

    I’m always swayed by a classic vinaigrette. Good call.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:18h, 16 September

    I adore roasted vegetables. Good call.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:19h, 16 September

    Shoes and purses go out of fashion. Good quality food never does. I like your style!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:27h, 16 September

    Please, be a sycophant. No one at home is.

    Hope you like the pasta. Play with it and make it your own. I just used what I had in the fridge. I’m curious about the granola recipe. I’d love to hear how it turns out.

    As for the orange cats, there is only one in my home. The one from Wordless Wednesday is Gladly, my medium-haired, very curious moggie. Although he is not in the header image, he was the inspiration for it. The cat on the header is a stock photo. Designers don’t like to work with props that move. We have a short-haired brown tabby as well, but he tends to be more camera shy so you won’t see him as often.

  • todd g
    Posted at 11:40h, 16 September

    seems like something that you could use to sear a nice piece of halibut with then use the same oil to sautee off some tomatoes basil and garlic with to go on top or even use it for a mushroom asparagus risotto to capture the asparagus flavor and earthy tones.

  • Danielle
    Posted at 12:39h, 16 September

    Ah, well, I live in the US so don’t qualify for the giveaway but I SO want to try this (and make your awesome looking pasta)!!

  • Errin
    Posted at 13:04h, 16 September

    I have known Elysia since she was born and I can attest that anything she promotes must be great!

  • Melissa
    Posted at 13:34h, 16 September

    on pizza! on pizza dough instead of sauce and then drizzled over top the toppings-zuchini, onion, artichoke and mozzarella. Straight up to dip still warm from the oven bread in or drizzled over soup! garlic cauliflower soup. I would even make pesto with it. oh jeesh now I am hungry!

  • Genevieve
    Posted at 18:57h, 16 September

    Oh I love Vincenzo’s – too bad I missed this demonstration!
    I never splurge on good quality oil, so I would love to win some! I would drizzle it on roasted beets (mmm my favourite). I’ve also never made my own bread dipper, but I could try it if I had the right oil!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:15h, 19 September

    You’d have loved the oil and talking to Elysia. She has a lot of great ideas on how to use it and knows its history, which is quite interesting.

    Bread dippers are amazingly easy. Once you start making your own, I bet you’ll be hooked.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:17h, 19 September

    The mushroom asparagus risotto would be a perfect fit for this oil. And the halibut idea isn’t too shabby either. Nice call.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:22h, 19 September

    Thanks so much for taking the time to comment even when you don’t qualify.

    I’m not sure if Three Farmers ships to the US, but if you’re interested in buying some, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with their media person.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:24h, 19 September

    How lovely. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Elysia was very knowledgeable and personable. Having worked with Susur Lee, I’m sure she’s an outstanding chef with a discerning palate.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:26h, 19 September

    You’re making me hungry too. I never think of pizza, but that’s a great idea. And the garlic cauliflower soup? Oh, I’m very hungry now!

  • Kathryn
    Posted at 13:16h, 19 September

    Ah yes. I have ended up with more ‘tail shots’, both grey & orange, than cute & curious faces. Right at the moment I click to take the photograph, the cat (either one) turns heel and shows me exactly what he thinks of photo shoots.

  • Kathleen
    Posted at 13:50h, 19 September

    I’d be using that for your pasta recipe. That looks incredible. With corn pasta however since it’s Gluten Free.

    Then maybe some pesto dipping sauce for a nice warm baguette.

  • Amy Proulx
    Posted at 15:55h, 19 September

    Hmmm…. take it to my students as we discuss fats and lipids in our food chemistry class. Our classes are fun, because as important as food chemistry is, if they can’t relate food chemistry to real foods, and real ingredients, then it’s a waste of knowledge. Pair it with a fresh sourdough from the bakery, and contrast against some other “fats and lipids”, like flax oil, cold pressed versus conventional canola, warm bacon fat (yum!), or something just wrong like Crisco shortening. Real experiences with real food makes for real food professionals.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 16:58h, 20 September

    Corn pasta sounds fine to me! Gluten-free doesn’t have to be flavour-free.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:00h, 20 September

    Did you write “Crisco” on my blog?!

    Good call to pair with sourdough. Your students are very luck to have a prof that wants them to have practical experience with food. I bet your classes are informative AND delicious.

  • Shelley S.
    Posted at 12:22h, 21 September

    Wow, the oil sounds great. I love trying new food products. Seeing as how it has it own unique taste, I think I would try making an aioli with it. Then I could dip, dunk or spread it on my fave foods.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:42h, 22 September

    Good call. Lots of people have suggested vinaigrette but no one went the mayonnaise route.

  • Carol Cairns
    Posted at 12:46h, 15 November

    Hi, i am starting a new cafe in Regina and will be using as many wonderful local products as possible…I was very excited to come across the article in Horizons and can’t wait to try the oil!! It would be great to be able to showcase this product in our cafe…I can imagine it in a variety of recipes and fabulous brushed on fresh bread baked in our wood fired clay oven with a side salad and homemade pasta! Congratulations to Three Farmers for producing an alternative to imported extra virgin olive oil! BRAVO!

  • Wendy Rogers
    Posted at 22:23h, 22 November

    Where in Atlantic Canada could I buy some camellia oil?

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:45h, 24 November

    At the moment, I don’t think Three Farmers has retail outlets east of Quebec. But you can keep up to date with this link. http://threefarmers.ca/buy/retail

    In the meantime, you can buy camelina oil online via http://threefarmers.ca/buy/online

  • Anna Sternfeldt
    Posted at 08:10h, 25 February

    Great to read about all these great qualities, and they are really the reasons for using camelina oil for food and not for biofuel, which some are pushing for today. http://www.best-alternative-fuel-sources.com/camelina-oil.html
    Anna

  • Edward
    Posted at 16:39h, 11 October

    Three Farmers website popped up in a random search and caught my curioisty. I had been in Paris and my aunt presented the oil along with a fresh baguette from which we took off pieces to dip into the oil and snack. I liked it and am now enquiring where I can purchase the product here in Montreal or Ottawa. Also,I would like to use it to fry eggs for my week-end breakfast and perhaps as dressing over fresh salad.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:06h, 11 October

    The Three Farmers website list locations where there oil is sold:
    http://threefarmers.ca/retailers

    The oil is very versatile and has a high smoke point, so it should be perfect for frying eggs. I use it a lot for salad dressing so it sounds like you’re going to get a lot of use of this tasty oil.

    Happy cooking!

  • Tony
    Posted at 21:18h, 14 October

    So happy to see a Canadian oil that can be heated and is good for you….can’t wait to try it……

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 22:02h, 14 October

    It’s a great product. I use it in place of olive oil almost exclusively. Love that you can even trace the oil to the farmer. My only complaint is I want bigger bottles because I go through it so quickly.