Canola is one of Western Australia’s most important agricultural crops, with the oil pressed from its seeds has become a kitchen staple. Let’s take a closer look at this versatile and healthy addition to our kitchens.
New(ish) kid on the block
Canola is a relatively recent crop. It was developed in the early 1970s through selective breeding of rapeseed, a plant that had long been grown for industrial oil but was too bitter and high in erucic acid to be eaten. Canadian scientists bred out those undesirable elements, giving the new crop its name (a blend of ‘Canadian oil, low acid’).
The crop arrived in Australia not long after, though it took a little more breeding to find the right variety to combat diseases and produce high-quality oil. Western Australian farmers quickly recognised its value as a rotation crop. Grown in winter, it breaks disease cycles, improves soil health and adds diversity to farm income.
WA is now the country’s leading canola producer, consistently delivering more than half Australia’s total, with the Goldfields-Esperance region boasting the biggest output. Flowering in late winter through to early spring – carpeting the regions in those golden shades – canola is harvested in late spring.
From paddock to bottle
Pressing canola seeds to release their oil may sound quite simple but there is a real craft to doing it well. The most natural approach is cold pressing, mechanically extracting the oil without the use of heat or solvents. This preserves more of the seed’s nutrients and gives the oil a fresher, more distinctive character.
Block 275 is a great example of this philosophy in practice. A value-added extension of the Mann family’s broad-acre farm on the Greenough River in the Mid West, Block 275’s canola oil is made from GM-free canola produced on a single paddock. Each batch is cold pressed, hand bottled and labelled without solvents, hexanes, bleaching or deodorising. Just 100 percent natural oil you can trace to the farm it was grown on.
The family-owned Alba Edible Oils is the state’s only edible oil refinery, producing an array of fully traceable, high-quality oils. With a closed loop value chain from seed to bottle, they can guarantee the provenance of every drop. The HealthFarm Canola Oil, made from non-GM local seeds, is a go-to for everything from deep frying and salad dressings, dips and baked goods.
Oil2U also offers full traceability, delivering fresh canola oil to restaurants, fast-food outlets, bakeries and more around the state. By sourcing from local farmers, they keep the supply chain short and the quality high. Natural processing ensures freshness and authentic taste, without any additives or preservatives.
Healthy and versatile
Canola has earned its place in the kitchen with good reason. It has one of the lowest saturated fat contents of any common cooking oil, along with a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower cholesterol levels.
Studies have shown by replacing saturated fats with canola oil, we can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It also has a healthy dose of vitamin E, which helps maintain healthy skin, vision and your immune system.
It is also very versatile. With a high smoking point, canola oil can handle serious heat without breaking down, making it ideal for deep frying, roasting and searing. While it is perfect for chips, tempura or anything else you want golden and crisp, the lightness of the oil also makes it useful as the base for dressings, mayonnaise and marinades.
Cooking with canola
The beauty of canola is its subtlety. Use it where you want clean heat without distraction, such as roasting vegetables, searing a prime cut of Harvey Beef, or crisping up the skin of a Mt Barker Chicken breast before finishing in the oven.
It’s also a great foil for aromatics. Warm garlic and your favourite herbs in canola oil before building a sauce and you have a beautiful, fragrant base. Or drizzle over salad such as this lovely stir fried cucumber salad.
Canola oil is also great for baked goods. Swap butter for a neutral canola oil in cakes and muffins and you will be rewarded with a moister crumb and longer lasting finished product. Carrot cake, banana bread and chocolate mud cake all love it. Brownies made with canola oil have a fudgier texture than those made with butter, too.
If you want to make your own mayonnaise, canola oil is your friend. Its mild flavour lets the other ingredients shine. Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar, then slowly drizzle in about a cup of canola oil, whisking constantly until it is a thick, glossy texture. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. It will only keep in the fridge for a few days, however, so give some to a friend or neighbour.
Closing the circle
You can’t help but admire a plant that does so much. While canola seed is pressed for oil, the rest becomes a high-protein food for livestock. Stubble is left in the paddock after harvest to return organic matter to the soil. The crop itself, rotated through a wheat or barley sequence, helps control weeds and breaks up disease cycles in the soil. It even feeds bees, the canola honey a valuable early season source of nectar.
So next time you’re shopping, look for the Buy West Eat Best distinctive bitemark and choose a locally grown and processed canola oil. The golden paddocks, and the growers who tend them, deserve it.