Blankets of food

This photo was taken in 2022, near Cowra, a rural town in the Central West region of NSW, Australia. The crop is Canola. Every spring (about September and October…yes, we are talking Southern Hemisphere), Canola spreads like brilliant blankets over some farming landscapes. At dawn and dusk, the light and colours are truly beautiful.

So, what is canola used for? It has seeds (in pods) that are crushed to produce oil which is commonly used in cooking. Have a look in your kitchen cupboards and you might find a bottle or two of canola oil.

Agricultural areas such as Cowra play an essential role in providing food for all of us. Yep, that’s right, milk and vegetables aren’t grown in supermarkets! So, here’s an exercise for you. Choose one type of food—for example, bread, eggs, yoghurt —and research how it is made and where its ingredients come from. Then, can you tell a story about it?

There is a saying ‘you are what you eat’, so perhaps there is a piece of Cowra in you somewhere!