This just in: flax seeds proven to be smallest atomic unit of matter!

[dreamshark]

Periodically I give in to the constant promotion of flaxseed as a magical health food and I buy some. A couple of times I bought ground flax seeds, sprinkled them on my oatmeal a couple of times, then put the bag in the fridge and forgot about it. A month or two or three later I'd notice it again. Since the articles that sing the praises of flax seed always warn that it goes rancid quickly, I would sigh and throw the bag away.

So the last time I was in the coop I bought some whole flax seeds and a cute little mortar and pestle, thinking I could grind them as I needed them. Well, no. It was like trying to grind shiny little chips of granite. No matter what grinding technique I tried, the only change in the seeds was to make them a little shinier and perkier looking. So I tried running them through a small food processor. Again, no effect. I tried a different blade (the one that is supposed to spit the ground/chopped/pulverized ingredients out a little spout into a waiting dish). That attempt was more dramatic - shiny little flax seeds all over the kitchen, intact and glowing as ever.

Bah. I'm wondering if this whole flax seed thing is an elaborate hoax, like smoking banana peels.

Comments

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

I have no idea if the flax seeds are doing me any good, but I can say that they grind wonderfully with a Braun small coffee grinder. I inherited one my father used to grind herbs. My breakfast is a ground mixture of flax seed, cinnamon, and Splenda (the coffee grinder mixes it nicely) blended with blueberries, cottage cheese, and chopped-up extra-firm tofu.

noveldevice says she can chew whole flax seeds, but for me, they just come out as they went in!

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Oh, darn! I wish I'd thought of that before I gave away that extra coffee grinder that we ended up with after the flurry of family Christmas presents.

Your breakfast sounds yummy, although I think I might like it better as lunch (I have a weakness for hot breakfasts). Do you blend the entire mixture, or do you sprinkle the spices over the cottage cheese and tofu?

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

I--by which I mean supergee, who makes me coffee & brekkie every morning, bless his heart!--stir(s) it all together into one lumpy but tasty mass. The taste is not all indistinguishable, though, thanks to the different-tasting insides of curds/pieces and juicy popping blueberries.

You can also buy ground flax seed, but I don't know if that loses the virtue of flax or not.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

ROTFL!

Have you seen Red River hot cereal? It's a Canadian product, not widely available, but I could always get it in Mpls. They've had flaxseed in it LONG before it was fashionable. But even after cooking, those flax seed were, yup, hard and shiny. I always wondered if even digestive juices broke them down.

But refrigerated or frozen flaxseed meal should keep for a long, long time. No need to be throwing it out. One way is to put a small portion in a jar to refrigerate, then freeze the rest. I've had some around for years, seems to be fine still, no off flavors.

[buttonlass.livejournal.com]

Hee hee. Flax seeds are a pain but really quite good for you. A couple of things to keep in mind.

Whole flax seeds do not get broken down by your digestive system. So not as much good for their omega 3's and what not if they never open. It's much less bother to buy them ground.

They do go rancid but it takes a really long time for that to happen if you refrigerate them or do what I did, put them in the freezer and they're good for a lot longer than I take to go through them. I found that I forgot about them up there so occasionally I'd filled a small (like 4 oz) container for the counter and then refill from the freezer.

Next you're going to tell me catnip isn't for smoking either.:)

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

LOL! Picturing the flax seed spewing around the kitchen. I hope they don't bore their way into the linoleum and start sprouting.