Thursday, April 23, 2009

Grinding Flax 101


The Tools: coffee grinder, glass jar (for post-grinding storage), flaxseeds


Here's the coffee grinder I reserve for grinding flax. It's no special kind... just one I picked up at a cooking store. I'm sure to reserve it especially for flax because otherwise the flavor of coffee takes over whatever I sprinkle flax on.


Grinding the flax!


Here are the ground seeds. I grind them coarsely because I prefer that to a fine meal (unless I am baking).


I store my ground flax in a glass Mason jar in the refrigerator. The problem with buying preground flax is that it can lose its potency very quickly and go rancid very quickly. If you find preground flax in the refrigerator section of the store then go ahead in buy, but otherwise grind your own and store it in the fridge!


This is the amount of ground flax I will eat throughout the day - about 4 tablespoons. If you're new to flax start with 1 teaspoon or so and work your way up from there. It can be powerful!

GO FIBER GO!!!

18 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

FABULOUS tutorial!!

Judy said...

I love the picture in the background. You have a beautiful home, Tosca. (As an architect, it really caught my eye!)
Thanks for the tips, you use the same type of grinder as me! :)
PS Good luck with the pool!

Stephanie said...

Alright, I've been convinced! I'm buying a grinder and flaxseeds. I can certainly stand to be a little more regular. :)

Katherine Bowman said...

Thanks for the info, i didn't know that it needed to be stored in the fridge!

Anonymous said...

I've been adding flax to my banana bread recipe and the crunchy addition along with some raw nuts has made it really tasty!
Jen P

Anonymous said...

Is Flax a protein or a fat? And thanks for the tutorial - I will get a grinder now!

Anonymous said...

Hi Tosca~
You made this comment in the last post...."(not bottled! - reduce your carbon footprint)" what does it mean?

Anonymous said...

Is there anything I can do about how gassy it makes me? I want to use flaxseed but it can be hard to be gassy all the time!

Anonymous said...

This is to the person who blogged:
Hi Tosca~
You made this comment in the last post...."(not bottled! - reduce your carbon footprint)" what does it mean?

I think what Tosca meant was use tap water (or brita) and not the bottled water...Save the earth on Earth DAy!

Katie said...

Tosca - just tried the ground flaxseed - Woah you're right - powerful stuff!

Pattie M said...

Can you buy already ground flax seed???

Anonymous said...

you can buy already groun flax seed in most grocery stores. that's how i buy mine as i'm too lazy to grind it myself!

Rachel said...

After spending a week on a road trip and pigging out on junk with the fam., not to mention missing my workouts, I was so grateful to return home and resume eating clean and hitting the gym. By the end of the week, my whole body hurt (from not moving it enough) and my gut was so soft! Yikes! ONE WEEK (and probably less) is all it took for me to go from feeling great to feeling ILL. How happy was I to find my new Oxygen issue in the mail! And how awesome to stumble onto your blog! Keep rockin' it! You are an incredible inspiration to so many!
Rachel, 30 years old, mother of 4, and workout junky!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the visuals! How long can pre-ground flaxseed last in the fridge?

Unknown said...

I grind up a bunch of flaxseed and freeze it, then take a portion of it and leave it in the fridge, that way I don't have to grind it very often. I'd be interested to hear if you think there's any problems with doing it that way. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Should leftover whole flax seeds also be refrigerated, or do they only go rancid after being ground?

Kathy:)! said...

Hi Tosca, I've been doing 1/4 cup now - can you also tell us how much wheat germ and bee pollen do you do daily? THANKS!!!

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