What is this farm crop?

[Mike4]

A farmer near me is growing perhaps a 100 acres of this rather lovely pale pink poppy-like crop. Does anyone know exactly what it is? And what the market for it is? The seeds perhaps?





Many thanks!

[PinkDalek]

Opium farm.

[servodude]

Opium farm.

Exactly what it is!
Tasmania is full of the stuff; and of wallabies going round in circles.

- sd

[Dod101]

Definitely poppies, just like the ones I have in my garden. Whether for opium or not I have no idea. Mine are just because they look good.

Dod

[UncleEbenezer]

Mine [...] look good.

Dod

Before or after indulging in their gift?

[Dod101]

All poppies are surely not opium poppies are they? I do not indulge with mine and I fancy that the farmer is growing them to extract the oil for cooking.

Dod

[UncleEbenezer]

All poppies are surely not opium poppies are they? I do not indulge with mine and I fancy that the farmer is growing them to extract the oil for cooking.

Dod

Sorry, I have no idea. Just couldn't resist the quip. The fact that some poppies are called "opium poppies" might suggest that others are non-opium poppies. Or not.

If they produce cooking oil, what would that be called when it appears on the supermarket shelves? And is it a fully commercial crop, or part of a rotation to improve the soil for other crops in other years (or both)?

[servodude]

All poppies are surely not opium poppies are they? I do not indulge with mine and I fancy that the farmer is growing them to extract the oil for cooking.

Dod

Sorry, I have no idea. Just couldn't resist the quip. The fact that some poppies are called "opium poppies" might suggest that others are non-opium poppies. Or not.

If they produce cooking oil, what would that be called when it appears on the supermarket shelves? And is it a fully commercial crop, or part of a rotation to improve the soil for other crops in other years (or both)?

I know there's one called the "Norman Poppy" that's been bred to have the morphine removed (leaving some other pharma' goodness)
- other than that the same poppies give you poppyseeds as give opium
- both are commercial crops

-sd

[Gengulphus]

All poppies are surely not opium poppies are they? I do not indulge with mine and I fancy that the farmer is growing them to extract the oil for cooking.

Sorry, I have no idea. Just couldn't resist the quip. The fact that some poppies are called "opium poppies" might suggest that others are non-opium poppies. Or not.

If they produce cooking oil, what would that be called when it appears on the supermarket shelves? ...

Poppyseed oil - though I've never seen it in a supermarket, so it might be a rather specialist product. I have however often seen poppy seeds as a topping on bread, and they're available as a cooking ingredient in supermarkets, e.g. in Tesco or Waitrose (and almost certainly in all the other main ones as well). Quotes from that link that may be relevant / of interest: "Poppyseed oil (also poppy seed oil and poppy oil) is an edible oil from poppy seeds (specifically seeds of Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy). ... Like poppy seeds, poppyseed oil is highly palatable, high in vitamin E, and has no narcotic properties. ... The oil is sometimes used as a cooking oil; it is also used for moisturizing skin. Its primary use, however, is in the manufacture of paints, varnishes, and soaps."

Also note that opium has important genuine medical uses, as a source for morphine and a number of other strong painkillers, as well as its 'recreational drug' usage - so opium poppies can be grown for medical as well as culinary use. And according to Wikipedia, "The United Kingdom does not require a license for opium poppy cultivation, but does for extracting opium for medicinal products." - and that quote is next to a photograph pretty similar to Mike4's, captioned "Opium poppy fields near Metheringham, Lincolnshire, England". So PinkDalek's identification of the crop as opium poppies looks highly likely to be correct, but how the crop will be used isn't clear!

Gengulphus

[Dod101]

How very interesting because I was given my poppy plants as seedlings grown by my neighbour from seed. Maybe he has a secret that I do know about. I assumed that they were like rapeseed which is very common where I live, fields of yellow flowers and it is definitely primarily grown for extracting the oil for cooking. It is freely available in supermarkets.

Dod

[servodude]

How very interesting because I was given my poppy plants as seedlings grown by my neighbour from seed. Maybe he has a secret that I do know about. I assumed that they were like rapeseed which is very common where I live, fields of yellow flowers and it is definitely primarily grown for extracting the oil for cooking. It is freely available in supermarkets.

Dod

Do you get thrips with the rapeseed about?
Used to wreak havoc when I worked in Fife; they would get everywhere!
Including behind the front of an LCD monitor; you had to hope they walked out before they died (worse than dead pixels having a wee bug in your view)

-sd

[Dod101]

How very interesting because I was given my poppy plants as seedlings grown by my neighbour from seed. Maybe he has a secret that I do know about. I assumed that they were like rapeseed which is very common where I live, fields of yellow flowers and it is definitely primarily grown for extracting the oil for cooking. It is freely available in supermarkets.

Dod

Do you get thrips with the rapeseed about?
Used to wreak havoc when I worked in Fife; they would get everywhere!
Including behind the front of an LCD monitor; you had to hope they walked out before they died (worse than dead pixels having a wee bug in your view)

-sd

They and moths are the bane of my life for the next couple of months.

Dod

[Breelander]

All poppies are surely not opium poppies are they?

No, they're not. The bright red field poppy papaver rhoeas isn't. Neither is the perennial poppy papaver orientale.

But the annual decorative poppies commonly found in gardens are. They are papaver somniferum, and in Germany you are not allowed to grow it as a garden plant, or as a crop without a licence.

In most of Central Europe, poppyseed is commonly used for traditional pastries and cakes, and it is legal to grow poppies throughout the region, although Germany requires a license.


Opium poppy fields near Metheringham, Lincolnshire, England

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaver_s ... strictions

[JohnB]

All poppies contain opium. Those hypersensitive tests for it that say every banknote is contaminated also spot if you have eated a seeded bagel

[Dod101]

Then of course there is the Welsh poppy, the horrible yellow one which spreads everywhere in the same way that alchemilla mollis does, at least in my garden.

Dod

[Rhyd6]

We have Welsh poppies galore and I love them - but then I am Welsh. Know what you mean about ladies mantle but the leaves are brilliant for flower arranging and do look attractive when covered in rain drops. I have poppies which are always referred to as opium poppies though I've never been tempted to try and extract anything from them!!

R6

[rabbit]

Could be some variety of opium poppy. It's legal to grow them in the UK under licence, they are much sought after by the pharmaceutical sector.

[Mike4]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So which part of the poppy is it that yields the opium? And how does the chemist get it out?

Asking for a friend.

[Breelander]

Could be some variety of opium poppy. It's legal to grow them in the UK under licence, they are much sought after by the pharmaceutical sector.

Not quite, according to Wikipedia the licence is required for extracting opium. For growing as a food crop for the baking industry no licence is required in the UK.

...poppyseed is commonly used for traditional pastries and cakes...
The United Kingdom does not require a license for opium poppy cultivation, but does for extracting opium for medicinal products.

[servodude]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So which part of the poppy is it that yields the opium? And how does the chemist get it out?

Asking for a friend.

You get it from the latex in the pod; but I'd leave it to the professionals.

-sd