Oilseed

A fabulous carpet of rich, canary yellow. A pleasant site throughout the county at this time of the year.

A close-up of the plant head.

Rapeseed crops have been cultivated throughout much of the world for at least four thousand years although it was not until the 13th century in Europe that this was done on a commercial scale. At the time its primary use was as a lamp oil but prior to this the oils had been used in soaps and for other purposes

Today's varieties of oilseed rape have been bred to provide an oil that is suitable for use in cooking and food processing. Known as vegetable oil, the oil is widely used by the food industry and is now being increasingly processed for use as biodiesel.