A while ago someone wrote to this list about flax seed. I don't
remember who it was. But he or she was complaining about the short
shelf life of flax, as it tends to go rancid.

The problem with flax is that in its natural form (whole seed), it has
almost no nutritional value because the hulls are indigestible. There
is a small amount of oil on the outside, so you might get a little more
nutrition from eating whole flax than from eating sand, but probably
not much.

Ground flax, on the other hand, is VERY nutritious. But there's a big
"gotcha": the grinding process normally creates high temperatures that
degrade the Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils in the flax, starting the
oxidation process so that the ground flax tends to go rancid very
quickly.

Fortunately, there is an answer.

I buy 40-oz. containers of "Organic Cold Milled" flax from Costco, made
by FlaxUSA. (40 oz. goes a LONG way.) You can get it from other sources
as well. Here is their web page:

http://www.flaxusa.com/products.php?page=organic

According to the company, their special cold milling process helps
preserve the temperature-sensitive oils and so greatly extends the
shelf life... up to 22 months. (This is probably a bit conservative,
as I still have some that was manufactured almost exactly 2 years ago,
and it hasn't gone rancid yet.) You can get even more life out of it
if you store it in the refrigerator.

It's great stuff. I add about 1 tbsp. per gallon to a big pot of soup
to thicken it during the last few minutes of cooking. It adds almost no
flavor, but does add good fiber and of course those Omega-3 and Omega-6
oils, while also making a great thickening agent (it doesn't take much
at all). You can also use it in baking recipes to add fiber and
nutrition.

I am not affiliated with the company or product in any way, but I have
tried it and I highly recommend it.

[Posted in FML 7278]