Ok…so I can’t take credit for the title. It’s actually the name of the hemp butter I used to make the above sandwich.
That’s right, hemp butter. Who knew!? The Peanut Principle is an awesome peanut butter company that has REALLY revolutionized the concept of nut and seed butters. We are lucky enough to have these guys at our local farmer’s market and we stop at their stand often. It seems like they are always coming up with new ideas and they have so many products! Last weekend at the market, I stumbled upon their hemp butter, Don’t Worry, Be Hempy.
Eyebrows were raised. Labels were read. It was a very timely stumbling (have I mentioned yet that I don’t believe in coincidence?) because I had just been reading about the history and the amazing health benefits of hemp. Of course I picked up a jar 😉
So let’s talk about hemp. You probably conjure up all kinds of images when you hear that word. Hippie jewelry, perhaps? Hippie shampoo? Hippie clothes? Maybe even “weed”? Um…hippies in general?? First things first…is hemp cannabis? Yes. Is hemp marijuana? No. They are both varieties of cannabis but are chemically and structurally different. Hemp is used for its fiber and the other variety for its narcotic effects. THC–the chemical in marijuana that makes people high–is found in trace amounts in hemp. Obviously, it’s found in higher amounts in weed (10%-27%, typically).
I was watching a documentary (I’m a documentary junkie!) about cannabis and learned a lot about the history of hemp and weed. Unfortunately, I can’t think of the name of it and when I did a search to try to find it, so many came up that I have no idea which one it was. But here is what I was surprised to learn: Did you know growing hemp (not marijuana–hemp) is illegal in the US? Like right now? And has been for decades? When the early settlers arrived in the US, hemp was used to make everything from wagon covers, canvases, clothes, rope, jewelry, baskets…you name it. In fact, early on in the Jamestown settlement, land owners were required to grow hemp for export to England. According to this site, hemp was even considered currency…like people paid their taxes with it. What?! In today’s world, hemp is still an amazingly profitable crop…but not for US farmers 😦 Anyone in the US using hemp to make products is importing it from other countries. Ridiculous? Yes, very much so. You can find some great facts about the history of hemp and the movement to legalize it for farmers here in the US on this site.
Ok. Back to the point of this particular post…hemp is also a super food! Well, the seeds are a super food 🙂 And the rest of the plant is pretty amazing as well, as we’ve learned. Even the “recreational” variety of cannabis is pretty darn amazing. Curing cancer? Treating asthma? Stopping epilepsy? Yes. All of the above. But that is for another blog post! Back to our super food of the hour…
Hemp seeds have a perfect balance of omega 3 to omega 6 fats. They also contain protein, iron, vitamin E, fiber, magnesium, and all but one of the essential amino acids. In our house, we eat hemp butter and hemp powder. You can also get hemp oil, hemp seeds, hemp cakes, hemp protein…I’m sure the list is growing as we speak! I enjoyed referencing this article for a lot of the nutritional information listed in my post. At any rate, the sandwich was yummy–and pretty! 🙂
So what are you waiting for?? Go get your hemp on!
PBHB Sandwich (Peanut Butter, Hemp and Banana)
Peanut Butter
Hemp Butter
Bananas
Healthy bread of choice
It’s not rocket science…slap those babies together and make a sandwich! 😉
You can find some additional interesting facts about hemp here.
Five Little Duckies 