Hemp Food Week highlights seed's versatility in cooking

By CHELSI MOY of the Missoulian


PHOTO: http://www.missoulian.com/content/articles/2008/09/05/news/local/znews03.jpg
Biga Pizza chef and owner Bob Marshall displays a slice of his hemp speciality pizza fresh out of the oven Wednesday afternoon. Marshall whipped up a hemp spread that he put on the pizza after baking as part of Hemp Food Week, an event for local chefs to use hemp in cooking. Photo by KURT WILSON/Missoulian



This little seed can be roasted, toasted, fried, frozen, poured, stored and baked.

When it comes to hemp - and the seeds it produces - the possibilities are endless. And that's no hallucination.

This week, local Missoula business owners tested the limits of hemp seeds in various culinary delights, from hemp milk lattes, to pizza and breakfast muffins. Highlighting the high-nutrition ingredient at local eateries is all part of Hemp Food Week, an event building up to this weekend's 13th annual Hempfest at Caras Park.


The fundraiser by the Montana Hemp Council aims to increase awareness of the versatility of hemp, which is harvested for paper, fiber, food and fuel.

Although hemp and marijuana come from the same type of plant, they are different varieties. Hemp contains less than 1 percent of the ingredient that makes pot users "high." Still, neither is legal to grow in the United States.

"(Hemp) has 25,000 uses," said Andrea Behunin of the Montana Hemp Council. "It's not marijuana. You're not going to get high from it. It is good for you."

Hemp seeds remind Bob Marshall, owner of Biga Pizza in downtown Missoula, of sesame seeds. Or more specifically, tahini, which is made from sesame seeds and used to make hummus.

That was his inspiration when creating this week's pizza special. Using coconut milk, brown sugar and Montola oil, and hemp seeds, of course, Marshall created a spread similar to a Thai peanut sauce. Throw that on top of a pizza full of classic food combinations, like peppers, roasted eggplant, olive oil and mozzarella, and you have a perfect example of well-balanced hemp meal.

"It tastes like a Thai curry bowl," he said

Biga Pizza began serving the hemp specialty Wednesday evening and will continue to do so through Sunday.

Nearby, at Front Street Pasta & Wraps, owner Jana Jackson substituted hemp seeds in her lemon and poppyseed muffins. During this weekend's events, the eatery will also sprinkle hemp seeds on top of the stir fry.

"Hemp seed is really good for you," she said.

Jackson compares hemp seeds to sunflower seeds. They are small and salty.

At the Good Food Store, the special is hemp milk lattes. The Red Bird is going to prepare their bread using hemp seeds and use it in one or two appetizer specials.

Neither Marshall nor Jackson typically use hemp seeds when cooking.

Jackson doesn't usually bake breakfast muffins, as the restaurant focuses on lunch and dinner. Marshall doesn't use hemp seed because he considers his pizzeria a traditional Italian-style eatery and hemp seeds fall outside that realm.

So why did they agree to participate in Hemp Food Week?

"It's a viable commodity that grows like weeds, with minimal environmental impact," Marshall said. "Renewable, sustainable products are good. It can save us."

Hempfest Saturday

The 13th annual Missoula Hempfest is Saturday, noon-10:30 p.m., at Caras Park. Features include speakers, a fashion show and live music by Eric Solomon, and special musical guests the iNHUMANS, Miller Creek, MudSlide Charley, Secret Powers and Jessica Kilroy.


http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/09/05/news/local/znews03.txt


__._,_.___