Learning what not to do.

Hemp seeds can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted, made into hemp milk (akin to soy milk), cheese, prepared as tea,[19] and used in baking. The fresh leaves can also be eaten in salads. Products include cereals, frozen waffles, hemp tofu, and nut butters, to name a few. A few companies produce value added hemp seed items that include the seed oils, whole hemp grain (which is sterilized by law in the United States, where they import it from China and Canada), dehulled hemp seed (the whole seed without the mineral rich outer shell), hemp flour, hemp cake (a by-product of pressing the seed for oil) and hemp protein powder. Hemp is also used in some organic cereals, for non-dairy milk[20] somewhat similar to soy and nut milks, and for non-dairy hemp "ice cream."

Eaten raw the seeds taste like sunflower seeds and make an excellent snack, a handful or two will work wonders as it's an extremely filling food. While it is considered one of the planets whole foods and one could sustain themselves off eating it alone for some time. In most foods it is not used as a main ingredient, it's used mainly as a supplement increasing the nutritional value of the food It is also used in some animal feed products from cattle, hogs, chicken and bird seeds (except the US) where I think it's prohibited from bird seed. We wouldn't want those birds pooping out undigested seeds would we? And over all is a much more suitable feed product to live stock then corn.

Hemp Flat Bread
1 c. wheat flour
2 c. hemp flour
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 c. granola
1/2 c. honey
1 c. sesame seeds (or any other nuts)
2 eggs
1 tbs butter
1 c. milk
1/2 c. jam (flavour to taste)
1 ts baking soda
1 ts baking powder

Mix dry ingredients, then combine and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.


Hemp Grain (Flour)
Press the hemp seed using a cold expeller press to extract the seed oil, which comprises 30% of the weight of the seed. After the oil has been removed, a seed "cake" remains. We grind and sift this cake to produce high-quality hemp flour.

Hemp Milk
1/4 cup hemp seed
3-4 cups water

Run through a juicer or blend for several minutes and strain through cheese cloth. Soaking the seeds or using hot water is thought to soften up the seed.

Hemp Hamburger

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 scallion (1/2 oz), finely chopped
• 3 oz Yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 oz (or 1 small) red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup hulled hemp seeds
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp hemp seed oil

Does Research Support EFAs?
There is well-documented research on human benefits of EFA in the diet:

• anti-aging
• anti-inflammation
• cardiovascular support
• cholesterol assistance
• mood stabilization
• brain health
• CNS support
• balanced insulin
• arthritis prevention
  and much more! Lack of EFAs would create the opposite of its benefits. EFA/electrolyte imbalance is linked to autism.

Equine studies are less in number, yet no less convincing of EFA attributes:

• increasing cell membrane permeability to insulin
• balanced hormones
• improved focus
• greater joint, hoof, skin, coat, mane and tail health
• increased strength, stamina and shorter recovery
• greater sperm count of higher quality which produce larger healthy offspring.
• EFAs and magnesium assist horses prone to founder.

Omega 3 has shown similarities to NSAIDS and bute, assists with lupus, ulcerative colitis, and chronic allergies. Omega 3 consists of three major types: alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) which is found in flaxseed oils, dark vegetables and some vegetable oils, as well as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both found in cold water fish and fresh seaweed.
Once ingested, the body converts LNA to EPA and DHA. Many studies have shown that DHA plays an essential role in the normal development of the brain, eyes and nerves while EPA provides an anti-inflammatory benefit, prevents degradation of joint cartilage, helps to maintain/repair cell walls. Together, EPA and DHA aid in the maintenance of cardiovascular function.

Hemp eats toxic waste at Chernobyl.

In 1998, Phytotech, along with Consolidated Growers and Processors (CGP) and the Ukraine's Institute of Bast Crops, planted industrial hemp, Cannabis sp., for the purpose of removing contaminants near the Chernobyl site. Cannabis is in the Cannabidaceae family and is valuable for its fiber, which is used in ropes and other products. This industrial variety of hemp, incidentally, has only trace amounts of THC, the chemical that produces the "high" in a plant of the same genus commonly known as marijuana. Overall, phytoremediation has great potential for cleaning up toxic metals, pesticides, solvents, gasoline, and explosives. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that more than 30,000 sites in the United States alone require hazardous waste treatment. Restoring these areas and their soil, as well as disposing of the wastes, are costly projects, but the costs are expected to be reduced drastically if plants provide the phytoremediation results everyone is hoping for.

Hempcrete - Hemp Building Materials - Hemp For Houses

Hemp can be made into any building material, including fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray-on insulation, concrete pipes, bricks, and biodegradable plastic composites which are tougher than steel.

Foundations can be made out of hemp hurds, a processed based on ancient technology adapted for modern use. To do this, set up a plywood frame (preferably hemp plywood), then fill with a mixture of hemp hurd (wood chip-like substance) and combine with lime, sand, plaster, some cement, and enough water to dampen, and let the mixture set for a day. Then take the frame down, but let the mixture continue to harden for about a week. The lime and the hurds create a chemical reaction which binds the mixture together. Amazingly these structures continue to get harder and stronger everyday until they fossilize, as is testament by a 6th century hemp-reinforced bridge in France. After this happens, the hemp foundation walls are as strong as stone.

Hemp foundation walls are 7 times stronger than concrete foundations, half as light, and three times as elastic, which means that these building will bend, but not break. Because of their superior strength and flexibility, hemp foundations are resistant to stress-induced cracking and breaking.

Hemp foundation homes and buildings are self-insulated, including thermal and sound insulation, resistant to rotting, rodents, insects, and they are fire proof, waterproof, weather resistant, and the walls breath so the rooms do not get stuffy. Hemp homes stay warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.







Kind of a late edit, but felt this was related enough to warrant such a late intrusion.

Cement Industry Is at Center of Climate Change Debate

But making cement means making pollution, in the form of carbon dioxide emissions. Cement plants account for 5 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming. Cement has no viable recycling potential; each new road, each new building needs new cement.

Figured I would toss in a history lesson for those of us who like to learn from the past.

Hemp for Victory.



Ford's biodiesel hemp plastic car._______ http://www.rense.com/general67/FORD.HTM





Popular Mechanics VOL. 69 February, 1938 NO. 2
New Billion Dollar Crop

American farmers are promised a new cash crop with an annual value of several hundred million dollars, all because a machine has been invented that solves a problem more than 6,000 years old.

It is hemp, a crop that will not compete with other American products. Instead, it will displace imports of raw material and manufactured products produced by underpaid coolie and peasant labor and it will provide thousands of jobs for American workers throughout the land.
The machine that makes this possible is designed for removing the fiber-bearing cortex from the rest of the stalk, making hemp fiber available for use without prohibitive amounts of human labor.

Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has great tensile strength and durability. It is used to produce more than 5,000 textile products, ranging from rope to fine laces, and the woody ‘hurds’ remaining after the fiber has been removed contain more than 77 percent cellulose, which can be used to produce more than 25,000 products, ranging from dynamite to Cellophane.

Machines now in service in Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, and other states are producing fiber at a manufacturing cost of half a cent per pound, and are finding a profitable market for the rest of the stalk. Machine operators are making a good profit in competition with coolie-produced foreign fiber, while paying farmers $15 a ton for hemp as it comes from the field.

From the farmer’s point of view, hemp is an easy crop to grow and will yield from three to six tons per acre on any land that will grow corn, wheat, or oats. It can be grown in any state of the Union. It has a short growing season, so that it can be planted after other crops are in. The long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for next year’s crop. The dense shock of leaves, eight to twelve feet above the ground, chokes out weeds. Two successive crops are enough to reclaim land that has been abandoned because of Canadian thistles or quack grass.

The Manufacturing Process

Cultivation and harvesting

Hemp is an annual plant that grows from seed. It grows in a range of soils, but tends to grow best on land that produces high yields of corn. The soil must be well drained, rich in nitrogen, and non-acidic. Hemp prefers a mild climate, humid atmosphere, and a rainfall of at least 25-30 in (64-76 cm) per year. Soil temperatures must reach a minimum of 42-46°F (5.5-7.7°C) before seeds can be planted.

• 1 The crop is ready for harvesting high quality fiber when the plants begin to shed pollen, in mid-August for North America. Harvesting for seed occurs four to six weeks later. Fiber hemp is normally ready to harvest in 70-90 days after seeding. A special machine with rows of independent teeth and a chopper is used. To harvest hemp for textiles, specialized cutting equipment is required. Combines are used for harvesting
• 2 Once the crop is cut, the stalks are allowed to rett (removal of the pectin [binder] by natural exposure to the environment) in the field for four to six weeks—depending on the weather—to loosen the fibers. While the stalks lay in the field, most of the nutrients extracted by the plant are returned to the soil as the leaves decompose. The stalks are turned several times using a special machine for even retting and then baled with existing hay harvesting equipment. Bales are stored in dry places, including sheds, barns, or other covered storage. The moisture content of hemp stalks should not exceed 15%. When planted for fiber, yields range from 2-6 short tons (1.8-5.4t) of dry stalks per acre, or from 3-5 short tons (2.7-4.5 t) of baled hemp stalks per acre in Canada.

Grain processing

• 3 Hemp seeds must be properly cleaned and dried before storing. Extraction of oil usually takes place using a mechanical expeller press under a nitrogen atmosphere, otherwise known as mechanical cold pressing. Protection from oxygen, light, and heat is critical for producing a tasty oil with an acceptable shelf-life. Solvent extraction methods are also emerging for removing oil since they achieve higher yields. Such methods use hexan, liquid carbon dioxide, or ethanol as the solvent. Refining and deodorizing steps may be required for cosmetics manufacturers.
• 4 A dehulling step, which removes the crunchy skin from the seed using a crushing machine, may be required. Modifications to existing equipment may be required to adequately clean the seeds of hull residues.

Fiber processing

• 5 To separate the woody core from the bast fiber, a sequence of rollers (breakers) or a hammermill are used. The bast fiber is then cleaned and carded to the desired core content and fineness, sometimes followed by cutting to size and baling. After cleaning and carding, secondary steps are often required. These include matting for the production of non-woven mats and fleeces, pulping (the breakdown of fiber bundles by chemical and physical methods to produce fibers for paper making), and steam explosion, a chemical removal of the natural binders to produce a weavable fiber. Complete processing lines for fiber hemp have outputs ranging from 2-8 short tons/hour (1.8-7.2 t/hr).

Packaging

• 6 The primary fiber is pressed into a highly compressed bale, similar to other fibers like cotton, wool, and polyester. Other products, such as horse bedding, are packaged in a compressed bale.

Paper making

• 7 Bast fibers are usually used in paper, which are put into a spherical tank called a digester with water and chemicals. This mixture is heated for up to eight hours at elevated temperature and pressure until all fibers are separated from each other. Washing with excess water removes the chemicals and the extracted binding components (pectin). The clean fibers are then fed into a machine called a Hollander beater, which consists of a large tub equipped with a wheel revolving around a horizontal axis. This beating step, which lasts for up to 12 hours, cuts the fibers to the desired length and produces the required surface roughness for proper bonding. Bleaching chemicals are sometimes added during this step or to separate tanks with the fibers. The bleached pulp is then pumped to the paper machine or pressed to a dryness suitable for transportation to a paper mill at another location.

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Industrial-Hemp.html



How to Use Hemp Plants for Paper Instead of Trees

• 1 Trim your hemp stems into ½-inch pieces and place them in a large plastic tub. Fill the tub with warm water and allow the stems to soak overnight. You can get stems in hobby stores or online. The stems are no more harmful than hemp cord and are always stripped of leaves before shipping.
• 2 Scoop the hemp stems out of the water with a sieve and fill your blender to the top with the soaked stem pieces. Add about 2 cups of soak water to the blender, less if the blender threatens to overflow.
• 3 Lid your blender tightly and pulse it on "Liquefy" until the hemp stems are totally pulverized. Pour the resulting pulp into a clean plastic tub large enough to fit your deckle. A deckle is a fiberglass screen fastened to a wood frame; it can be made to any size. Repeat with the remaining soaked stems.
• Continued

More detailed version http://www.exploratorium.edu/explori...handmade2.html
I'm assuming making hemp fiber board is a very similar process.

Originally Posted by Shadeslay

A good link for anyone looking for hemp related resources: http://hemp4victory.wordpress.com/

Also I'm going to add this link which you'll more then likely see me site a few times in the future. As it deals with the sustainability of hemp as a renewable resource etc..
http://www.eiha.org/attach/639/11-07...e_Products.pdf

I must say if you asked me 10 years ago what marijuana did I would have responded "it gets you high", today it might be a more in depth response. As this video suggests that it's leaves and roots are considered vegetables, with the medicinal benefits similar to psychoactive methods of consumption. The other parts of the plant are already loosely considered nuts "seeds" and flowers "buds" , the cannabis plant appears to be an over achiever.




I'm going to put this one here, just to really freak out anyone that reads this blog. After you've read how well cannabis does at everything etc.... Then you see this!

As someone who has tried juicing it raw I'll leave a little warning. If you have an auto-immune like me with a low intestinal bacterial count, you may want to refrain from eating too much. As it is an antibacterial and from what I've read it's an semi intelligent antibiotic and it tends to target mostly harmful or specific bacterias, it does still appear to kill the beneficial ones as well. It caused a fairly big flare up with me, there is a small chance it simply agitated the problem. However, gauging by how severe it was I would guess it was the former. With the toxins inflaming organs and the weakened immune system. I still find it invaluable, as from all I've read it's still the best option as a sleep aid, anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic and pain reliever as it puts very little strain on an already over taxed liver. I just wanted to toss that out there, for anyone else considering juicing raw cannabis to use cation.