Herb. No. 138 · Linaceae
Fertile Crescent fiber and oilseed, a cool-season crop of temperate fields.
Native · West Asia · Mediterranean
Native Also grownNow a garden plant worldwide
LegalGentleplant
Flax
Linum usitatissimum
Blue flower, brown seed, linen in the stem — a cool-season crop for porridge, oil, and cloth.
Flax is among the oldest fiber and oil plants. The seed is a mucilaginous food; ground, it feeds oatmeal. Traditional use is as a bulk laxative and a soothing mash. Culinary ground seed is the daily path. Whole seeds often pass through. The oil wants the fridge.
Flavor
Nutty, mild, a little paint-box if the oil is old. Fresh-ground is the test.
Parts used
Ripe seed
Helpful
- Easy from a packet
- A true food
Cautions
- Rancid oil is nasty
- Cyanogenic glycosides in huge raw amounts — food doses are fine