Welcome. In this course, you will learn how canola gets from the farm to your table. Check out the instructor guide in the material tab.
Start with the Canola on the Farm section and learn how farmers care for their crop, including when they plant and what they do to keep their crops healthy. Then follow canola from the farm to the store to find out about buying canola in the Canola Oil at the Grocery Store section. Finally, learn why canola oil is a healthy choice and cook along as we show you how to make a delicious recipe in Canola Oil in Your Kitchen section.
Course content & objectives
In this course, you will learn about canola There are three sections:
Canola on the Farm – Learn how farmers take care of their crops, including when they plant and what they do to keep their crops healthy.
Canola Oil in the Grocery Store – Follow canola from the farm to the store to find out about buying canola.
Canola Oil in the Kitchen – Learn why canola oil is a healthy choice and cook along as we show you how to make a delicious recipe with canola oil.
Course Delivery
Using the content on the Canadian Food Focus website, the material can be shared with students through a variety of methods, including:
Suggested Activities
- Invite a farmer to talk about growing canola: seeding, fertilizing, applying pesticides and harvesting. What diseases or insects is canola susceptible to? How do they control pests in their fields? Ask about treated canola seed, what it does and the benefits for growers. Canola is commonly sprayed with glyphosate – ask the farmer to explain what it is and what it does for the crop.
- Take a field trip to apiary to talk with a beekeeper about canola and the production of honey. Find out more about how the beekeeper and local farmers work together to ensure that 1) canola crops are pollinated 2) the bees have enough canola to make their honey. Ask if your students can taste the honey that comes from canola.
- Arrange a visit to a canola crushing plant to learn how canola seeds are processed to make oil. What type of equipment is used? After the oil is removed from the seeds, what are the next steps in getting it ready to be sold in grocery stores? Find out what happens to the leftovers from the crushing process.
- Freeze some canola oil overnight and then as a group prepare pie crust using Jody’s recipe for Canola Oil Pastry. (Watch the video beforehand.) Prepare a salad dressing using the suggestions in “Canola Oil Cooking Skills,” or create a few different vinaigrettes and then do a taste test to select your favourite. Discuss what other ways you can use canola oil in food preparation.