BS: fields of rape

Subject: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 04:20 AM

I always think fields growing the rape seed look beautiful - all blue and gently moving in the breeze. But a lot of people say they're horrible, an incursion.....environmentally naff.

I wonder what other people think.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 04:41 AM

Bright and pretty - but the smell can be overpowering if you walk on a path through them and re-trigger childhood allergies.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 04:41 AM

PS - Blue? Yellow!

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 04:47 AM

Blue? I think that'll be linseed. Rape fields are ultra yello - and not the sort of thing you want to get caught in of a sunny morning crawing home from the pub after an all-nighter on a sunny morning, as happened to me once. Yellow blindness! Not good.

All agriculture these days is environmentally naff though; the English countryside is a fucked up factory driven by profit & subsidy & all character wiped away by creeping blandness with ballsed up barn conversions for the rich & villages of holiday homes where the locals have been priced out long ago.

That said - we're off to Norfolk next week for a nice bucolic retreat & some fun with the hares...

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 05:05 AM

I remember in the days of crop rotation how beautiful a patchwork of browns and greens looked in a country landscape, especially in hilly areas. The garish glaring yellow of fields of rape has spoiled that particular aspect of our countryside.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: gnomad
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 05:34 AM

Both linseed (gentle blue) and rapeseed (vibrant yellow) add to the generally mostly green palette of the English countryside, visually I quite like them in moderation. (And before anyone jumps on me, yes of course there are many other colours, especially on moors, orchards, and around harvest time) I like the variety of landscape our mixed agriculture can produce.

Great slabs of uniformity induced by our slide towards monoculture are less appealing.

Still less pleasant for some of us is the form of allergic reaction that certain crops can cause. While I enjoy the sight of a field of rape, the yellow flowers are my signal to close off any air intakes I can, and to hope it is just a field or two.

Oddly enough I came across a tiny field of rape a couple of years ago on a small island off the west coast of Ireland. The whole thing was surrounded by substantial walls, and measured about 60 yards by 30. It looked far too small for a commercial crop, yet had been carefully planted in one of only a very few patches of good land. Bit of a puzzle.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Megan L
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 05:43 AM

gnomad In a small island comunity it could have been for animal feed On Orkney before we bought comercial feeds it was not uncommon to see patches of blue Lupins which would be cut for the kye.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 12:28 PM

so the blue is linseed - I always thought it was rape seed! I still think it looks beautiful like the surface of lake shifting in the sunlight- though its the wind that stirs it.

Round Boston in Lincolnshire, where I grew up, there were always yellow fields when I was a kid - they were growing mustard.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Will Fly
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 12:35 PM

I'm told that the pollen falling from fields of rape is not, in fact, a cause of hayfever, as the pollen is large and heavy and falls to the ground rather than getting wind-borne. It certainly smells very unpleasant to me, and I'm with Michael in thinking that it adds a garishness to the subtle English countryside colours. The worst offenders, as far as hayfever is concerned, are tree pollens. Whether rape activates allergies other than hayfever, I don't know.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 01:27 PM

I can get sneezy in rape fields when I don't (usually) around other growing stuff (well not so much any more).

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 01:32 PM

I had a colleague here in Norfolk years ago who lived next to a field. One year the farmer grew rape for the first time and the poor lass was prostrate with migraines. The crop was repeated year after year and the migraines got so bad they decided to move nearer to Norwich.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Crowhugger
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 02:09 PM

Maybe rapeseed takes the rap for something else the way goldenrod does here in Canada. Goldenrod blooms bright deep yellow at the same time as the inconspicuous green flowers of ragweed come out, so a lot of people think they're allergic to goldenrod, which may or may not be the case.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 04:32 PM

Canola (Canadian Oil) is the name we hear in the U.S. for rape seed oil. And apparently Monsanto has had such a hand in it that the GMO result isn't fit to be consumed.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 06:50 PM

The version of rapeseed known in the US is called Canola.

Here are some views of rapeseed/canola fields.

Here are some views of flax fields.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 07:12 PM

When rapeseed is in blossom I get fierce headaches. I can't find it now, but I once read an article about the noxious fumes emitted by rapeseed blossom.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 07:18 PM

Thanks for the lovely pictures Jim. I'm glad its not just me that's been struck by the beauty of these fields.

Garish.....? well you know I've got common tastes...

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: gnomad
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 08:00 PM

I've little idea what element of the crop gives me a problem, but I know for certain that something does; restricted breathing, running eyes and a blinding headache. Certain lilies do it too but I've never encountered them in whole-field quantities.

The cattle-feed explanation had not occurred to me, Megan, I believe that most livestock in that region are able to over-winter in the fields (it is pretty temperate) but it would still make sense to have at least some feed available.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: pdq
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 08:30 PM

The flax fields mentioned above are a very different plant, family Linaceae.

Flax gives us linen cloth, parchment and oils such as linseed oil.

Rape and relatives are in the Mustard Family, Brassicaceae (aka Cruciferae), which supplies more food crops than any other family of plants.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 08:33 PM

Oilseed rape is insect-pollinated and has fairly heavy, sticky pollen. You are very unlikely to be affected by the pollen unless you deliberately wade through fields of the stuff, and even then it's more likely to stick to your knickers than get up your nose. The plants are usually grown as a monoculture in blocks of many acres. They will have been treated with all manner of chemicals. The flowers attract pollen beetles, and, if you have a garden next to a field of the stuff, your garden flowers will be ravaged by said beetles once the crop has gone to seed in early summer leaving the beetles feeling a bit peckish. It's horrible stuff, though, admittedly, the oil therefrom is a bit healthier than dripping and lard. I love chips done in dripping and lard, and I hate pollen beetles. And monocultures.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 08:37 PM

Oddly enough I came across a tiny field of rape a couple of years ago on a small island off the west coast of Ireland. The whole thing was surrounded by substantial walls, and measured about 60 yards by 30. It looked far too small for a commercial crop, yet had been carefully planted in one of only a very few patches of good land. Bit of a puzzle.


As Big Al points out, the yellow crop may be mustard. This is sometimes used as a "cover crop" to add nutrition to the soil before planting potatoes.


DC

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 10:45 PM

Pollitical correctness in Canada changed the name to canola oil.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 06:11 AM

"Rape" derives from the Latin for turnip, a closely-related plant, Brassica rapa. I can't see any problem with calling oilseed rape "rape" as long as all around are aware of the context. As a botanist I've used the word in this context for decades without relating it in my mind to any other meaning it has. It was good that the thread title was amended.

Apropos of finding a small plantation of it, it's worth pointing out that most other members of the cultivated branch of the cabbagey members of the family have yellow flowers and a habit similar to rape when they bolt, something which many farmers and allotmenteers are prone to allowing!

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 07:09 AM

"noxious fumes"
I find the fragrence pleasant, and I am told that bees like the plant and good honey produced.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: theleveller
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 07:58 AM

The blue can be linseed but it may also be borage, which is now grown as a commercial crop. Some farmers are now producing a cold-pressed unrefined rape seed oil which is an excellent British substitute for extra virgin olive oil - we have an excellent on here in East Yorkshire.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 08:04 AM

Like Keith, I quite like the scent of rape; but I find its presence in quantity to make my eyes water and irritate intolerably. This was a symptom I quite frequently suffered when a child victim of hay fever, which was before the wide cultivation of rape which now obtains & so must have had some other allergenic cause; but these days rape is about the only trigger.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: GUEST,I Don't Know
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 09:53 AM

I suffer when the rape is in flower with what my dotor called 'rape fever' I get very watery eyes (nearly blinds me), dry mouth and headaches.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: maeve
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 10:09 AM

Some information regarding sensitivities/allergies:
Source: (unknown how reliable)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-458357/Runny-eyes-wheezy-chest-Blame-Britains-crops-rapeseed.html

"....researchers say many people mistakenly blame their symptoms on pollen from the plants. According to the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit in Worcester, only one in 25 people tested for rapeseed allergy actually reacts to the plant. Instead, many become ill due to gases - called volatile organic compounds - emitted naturally by oils in rapeseed when it blooms.

One study at the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Dundee in the mid-Nineties found that rapeseed emits 22 different volatile compounds. Many are known to cause respiratory problems. The major culprits are chemicals called terpenes, aldehydes and organic disulfides. Terpenes give many plants and fruit their distinctive smell.

Another study at Aberdeen University tested 37 people who complained of wheezing and blocked airways due to rapeseed. Only two had any evidence of allergy when exposed to the pollen. But most still showed signs of lung irritation and wheezing from the plants.

Maureen Jenkins, of Allergy UK, said: 'Rapeseed produces volatile oils in the atmosphere which irritate sensitive airways. Anyone with hayfever or asthma may find symptoms worsening if passing a rapeseed field because of these volatile oils in the air. 'Keep car windows closed when rapeseed is blooming, especially if you have hayfever or asthma.'

Beverley Adams-Groom, of the National Pollen And Aerobiology Research Unit, said the fumes are known to irritate the airways. 'These compounds cause a very strong smell and trigger flu-like symptoms in some people,' she said. 'We know of families living next to rapeseed fields who feel ill when the plants are flowering.'
************
I do know that many people have a similar reaction to lily and paperwhite narcissus scents.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 11:27 AM

Steve, many people do not have a very good understanding of a homonym's meaning and jump to conclusions. There used to be a town in Canada that referred to itself as "The Home Of Rape" but I think they took the sign down a few years ago. I'm not sure if they changed it to the home of canola.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: GUEST,Seayaker
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 12:47 PM

Years ago when I was at agricultural colledge rape was just starting to become a popular crop. We went on a farm walk and there was a field that had been planted fairly unsuccesfully and was very sparse and patchy

Someone suggested that it was more like attempted rape.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 02:55 PM

I was just looking at borage, and wondeing - does any of you grow it? i have this patch of ground in my garden - sort of a fruit cage - about eight yards square, and I don't like gadening much.

So waddya think? Could I put borage seed down there. have a little blue field of my own? If I did - how long would it flower? I wouldn't be bothered if it self seeded and spread a bit.

Tell me what you think?
http://www.herbexpert.co.uk/growingborage.html

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Leadfingers
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 07:57 PM

Cant help wondering if this has any bearing on Sting's Fields of Gold

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Greg B
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 09:38 PM

A crop whose healthy oil (along with the much better olive oil) will keep billions of hearts healthier than they would otherwise have been.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 09:54 PM

Groundnut oil makes the best oven chips. I'll hear no argument.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 12:49 AM

Lard and drippings are apparently better for you than canola, so have at it.

Brassica or mustard family or crucifere, all names for the family that broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and mustard come from, are very healthy. Anti-carcinogenic. Apparently the rape seed plants that are made into canola oil have been modified so much (GMO) that they aren't good for you any more.

Borage (boraginacea) has a fractal aspect (the way it curves back on itself) that reminds people of the patterns in broccoli and broccoflower (also botanical fractals). But there isn't just one type. You can grow Forget-me-nots in your garden and have a perfectly acceptable borage growing. It's in the family.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 03:21 AM

Cant help wondering if this has any bearing on Sting's Fields of Gold

Searing, blinding, eye-burning yellow is not gold.



…………………………………
Upon the fields of barley
…………………………………
As we walk in the fields of gold

The clue is in the words.


DC

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 04:00 AM

I put the idea to my brother in law (member of RHS), who said - why not just do line of borage - see if you like it.

But as a poet and a one man band, part of me kept thinking

I'll be able to say - I'm going to forage in the borage

or I could put out a breakfast table and chairs and say

Lets take porridge in the borage

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: theleveller
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 04:25 AM

Borage is a beautiful plant and will self-seed everywhere. The leaves are great in Pimms - so growing it is a good excuse for buying a bottle of Pimms. In fact, it would be rude not to.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 04:34 AM

We do not allow GM rape to be grown in UK.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 11:51 AM

Is the GM stuff bad?

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: maeve
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 11:58 AM

Yes, extremely so, and particularly bad long-term.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 06:19 PM

I have two flax plants in my perennial garden. I love their shade of blue. Now, I am off to see if I could grow borage here. It sounds like a quite useful and pretty plant.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 06:37 PM

An interesting article... apparently canola oil is no longer
rapeseed oil, per se, which explains much of the confusion about
whether the stuff labeled canola oil is bad for you or good for you.

Subject: RE: BS: fields of rape
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 07:37 PM

really when you think about it, anything you eat could come from a genetically modified source - the coffee or the wine you drink - anything....