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]