The Perfect Hemp.

[Bar Barbus]

I have always cooked my own hemp for roach fishing as feed and hook bait and also for feed for barbel and chub.

However, recently, I was forced to use a tin of Sensas hemp, and was pleased at the number of white sprouts.

Question - Was this because the hemp was cooked inside the tin (I presume)and has anyone any information on doing the same within pressure cookers.

Or is it that the hemp we buy is sterilised?

 

[GrahamM]

I don't know how Sensas do it but I cook my hemp in a pressure cooker, adding a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and a tablespoon of sugar. The pressure cooker does cook the seeds more evenly than when you do it in a pan, but it's still not as perfect as the commercially cooked stuff.

 

[Bar Barbus]

Thanks for response.

Can you give me some indicative times.

i.e. presoak for 1 hour, cook at 5psi for 10 mins etc., etc.

so that I can try out.

 

[Paul Houghton]

I like the hemp by er.....Frenzied? It's in big cans and very uniform in size. I haven't cooked my own since I discovered it. Stopped arguments in the house too....

 

[Andy Davis]

Yep I use the frenzied stuff as well

 

[GrahamM]

I soak 6 pints for 24 hours and then pressure cook for 40 mins. I use an old pressure cooker with no settings so I can't help with that, sorry.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

The commercial stuff is good, but it is so damned expensive. When you can buy a bulk sack of uncooked seed for the cost of 5 pints of commercial cooked, it's a big saving even if it isn't as uniform.

The fish don't know the difference and the wife stops moaning about the smell eventually, so I will carry on cooking my own.

I soak mine for about 8 hours and boil in an open pan for 30 - 40 minutes (don't have a pressure cooker). Works well for me.

 

[Keith Banks]

Theres a couple of things worth remembering that you never read about.
first dont use water straight from the tap, if you have to use tap water, let it stand for 24 hours to get rid of the chlorine etc.but better still by a large bottle of still spring water and soak and cook it in this.
Secondly, hemp is much better used fresh, so try if poss to cook the hemp on the night before or on the day you go fishing. frozen is good, but try the test of putting fresh and thawed into the margins and see what happens.
Back to the preperation all you have to do is soak the seed in fresh water for 24 hours or more and by this time some white shoots should be just about sprouting, then boil them untill about 50% of the seeds are sprouting, this should only take about 20 mins, then leave to cool, during this time more seeds will sprout.
Dont worry about getting 100% white sprouts, not needed.
If you do freeze make sure the seeds are cold and use good quality freezer bags because the liquid with the seeds expands when frozen splits the bag and when it thaws, mess everywhere.

Good fishing.

Keith.

 

[peter webber]

I make mine up on the morning that I go using an old flask.
I fill the flask half way then top up with boiling water and close the top.
By the time I get to the water the hemp is ready to use ( it normaly takes about two hours from the time I make it to the time I get to the water ).
I then empty the flask into a bait box to cool of while I setup.

 

[Dave Johnson]

I dont know how the wife cooks it, she has to get up 3 hours before me to prepare it.......

 

[Carp Angler]

I pour half a sack into a Burco, fill up to the MAX line with water, add a bag of sugar and leave it to soak for 48 hours.

I then turn the Burco on #6 and leave it until I hear the seeds hitting the lid (tink, tink, tink) I then turn it down to #4 and leave it bubbling for about 30 mins.

I then turn it off and go fishing.

When I come home it's cooled enough for me to bag and freeze.

I then pour in the other half of the sack and repeat the process.
75lb of cooked hemp for about ?10.....

Thats enough hemp for about 3 or 4 sessions