Town & Country

4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 I N G L I S They've never looked back, throwing themselves into the new country, the new climate and learning to farm sustainably and organically — a pretty steep learning curve for the former cop and his wife, a trained schoolteacher. Today, the Krachers and their growing children are thriving as certified organic farmers in Inglis, where they pursue a mixed farming practice with fruits like apples, cherries, a variety of berries including gooseberries, and even hazelnuts (to name just a few). And as certified permaculture farmers who grow sustainably, they also produce "hull-less" or naked oats, lentils and flax. But their key crop is organic (certified by Eco- cert Canada) camelina — which is cold-pressed into oil under their Freefield Organics label. The camelina plant produces seeds in a short growing season of about 75 to 80 days, which Franz Kracher says is ideal for Manitoba. "The plant belongs to the brassica family and the plant has little yellow blossoms," says Kracher. "It's about a foot high depending on the weather conditions and the rain. When the plants start getting a little bit yellowish, about 60 per cent on the field, then it's time to cut it." After a week or two, depending on the weather, it is ready to harvest. "The seed is very small, about the size of a clover seed, and it's orange in colour," he says. "So we harvest it, and then we clean it, and then we run it through our press to get a pure, cold-pressed organic oil that is fully traceable to us as the producer." So what is this camelina oil and why are the Krachers so committed to producing it? Primarily, camelina oil is a lightweight, light- tasting, pale golden cooking oil that is best used raw in foods like salad dressing but which has an astonishing 475 F smoke point — meaning it is very tolerant of cooking. The oil is highly stable and can be used in the frying pan or in the oven for roasting. "It's a perfect balance of omegas 3-6-9, and it is high in vitamin E," says Kracher. "Some people say that the taste is grassy, some people say it's nutty, and some say it's a bit like cucumber." Kracher says it can be readily mixed with other oils but on its own, it enhances the flavour of whatever it is added to. "The shelf life is two years at least, but we put 18 months on the bottle," he says. "We've been on the market now for three years in different stores." The oil may be new to Canadians, but it's been around a long time. Kracher says the seeds have been found in 5,000-year-old mummies and used throughout history up until just a few decades ago, when it was an important part of the European diet. There are indications of many health benefits, and Kracher encourages people to read up online to learn more. "People have asked me if I knew about this and yes, we did because in Austria our parents and our grandparents used to love to use this oil for their cooking for their diet, but like so many things, it was almost forgotten," he says. Kracher sees a future, however, even as their farm company faces challenges in marketing because of their somewhat remote location. But they are slowly reaching out all across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and even B.C. The next step for the Krachers is to sell the oil as a supplement and to launch a skin-care line. "We grow the herbs ourselves — lavendula, rosemary and calendula, which are our main ingredients. We've started small with lots of hands-on work to get it done and we have a very good formula," he says. Currently, Freefield Organics Camelina Oil is available in shops in Roblin, Birtle, Steinbach, Shoal Lake, Grunthal, Birds Hill and Winnipeg, including some Sobeys stores. "One of our statements is: We love to grow," says Kracher. "Which means of course we love to grow in ethical ways, capability and production wise and money wise. "And of course we are organic and green, but we also want to develop our company and our products so we can keep growing." Growing Success Camelina oil is golden for organic farmers B Y W E N D Y K I N G PHOTOS COURTESY OF FREEFIELD ORGANICS Organic farmers Franz and Erna Kracher grow camelina and several other crops, with help from their children. Camelina oil is one of their specialty products. Come Play With Fire For three hours become a blacksmith. Forge your own project out of hot steel. Ste Rose du lac, MB Cell 204.447.7809 Email: authenticiron99@gmail.com www.authentic-iron.com 204-629-2215 info@edificeengineering.ca Let us design your next project! 31 - 3rd Avenue NE Dauphin, Manitoba P.O. Box 309 McCreary Mb. R0J 1B0 Telephone 204-835-2067 Fax 204-835-2426 Your "One Stop Shop" • Certified Aluminum Repair Facility • Certified Collision & Glass Repair • Body Intregity • Free Estimates • Free Courtesy Cars 401 Lake Avenue Selkirk, MB (204) 482-3960 MPI Direct Repair Shop John's Electric Ltd. Two locations to serve you better Dauphin Office: 204-572-5028 Neepawa Office: 204-476-3391 www.johnselectricltd.ca "For All Your Electrical Needs" O ne too many floods on their Austrian farmland got Franz and Erna Kracher to pull up stakes, kids in tow, and leave to start up a new farm life in Manitoba back in 2005. Learn more online at Facebook. com/freefield.ca/ or freefield.ca. Primarily, camelina oil is a lightweight, light-tasting, pale golden cooking oil that is best used raw in foods like salad dressing but which has an astonishing 475 F smoke point — meaning it is very tolerant of cooking. The oil is highly stable and can be used in the frying pan or in the oven for roasting.

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