Why We Chose Sunflower Oil for Our Kettle Corn
There's a reason we chose sunflower oil for our kettle corn, and it starts with the plant itself.
A Naturally Non-GMO Crop
Sunflower oil comes from sunflower seeds, and sunflowers are not genetically modified crops. Unlike some other major crops used to make cooking oils, there are currently no commercially grown genetically modified sunflower varieties. That means when you see sunflower oil on our ingredient list, it starts with a pretty simple plant: the sunflower.
From Seed to Field
Sunflowers are easy to spot! They’re tall, bright, sun-facing, and hard to miss in a field. They’re planted in late spring and grow best with plenty of sunlight and well drained soil. With the right conditions, sunflowers can grow up to six feet tall!
But how do farmers know when they’re ready to harvest?
It’s not actually the petals they look at. Instead, they check the back of the flower head. As the plant matures, it changes from green to a golden brown colour, signalling that the seeds are ready to be harvested.
From planting to harvest, it can take around 100 days.
Why Sunflower Oil Works Well for Klondike
Of course, choosing an ingredient is about more than where it comes from. It also has to work in the kettle! Sunflower oil has a light, clean flavour, which means it doesn’t overpower the popcorn. Instead, it lets the sweet and savoury flavours of our kettle corn shine. It also performs well at the high temperatures needed to make kettle corn. For us, that makes sunflower oil a great fit. It does its job without stealing the spotlight from what really matters: the popcorn.
Researched and written by a Venture For Canada Student
