flax seed

[Paul Sturrock]

This is my first post so please forgive me if flax seed has been discussed to death. Anyway, I just happened to look at the nutrition info on some cold-milled flax seed and was surprised to see how many calories it had: 6 per gram, or about 170 per ounce.

That's about the same as pecans and pistachios, but flax seed is also a great source of protein (about 6 grams per ounce), fiber (about 6 grams per ounce), omega-3 and 6, lignins and lots of other essental things.

It's quite compact when it's been milled. It also has a nice nutty flavor and goes well with cold cereals as well as oatmeal and cream of wheat. Haven't tried it with granola, but I suspect it would taste just fine with it.

Compared with a Cliff Bar, it seems flax seed has more to offer backpackers except for carbs; it only has about half as much per ounce. I'm going to start adding it to my morning oatmeal when backpacking.

Two single servings of Quaker Oats instant and two ounces of flax seed should yield about 600 calories.

[Brian UL]

Ya, I use the stuff. I make my own oil paints with it and eat it! ( the oil not the paint).
Ive not taken it out in the cold do you know if freezes or becomes unmanagably thick in the cold?

[Joshua Mitchell]

I'm pretty sure the post was about milled flax seeds rather than flax seed oil (both of which are fairly nutritious)…

Hmmm… talking about mixing oatmeal with flaxseed, one could also boost some instant quinoa for super breakfast…

[shawn weld]

Who knew Flax seeds would generate so many responses.

Here's my typical "Flax Seed" backpacking breakfast:

Cinamon Roll Oatmeal
Powdered Milk
Raisins
Flax seeds

Mixed together in a freezer bag. Add 3/4 boiling water.

Good stuff.

[George Matthews]

Also reduces your cholesterol

If you go with just the flaxseed oil, you only get the Omega 3 Fatty Acids – none of the other benefits

I use Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal mixed in grain cereal or in yogurt. It's fantastic.

Only drawback I know of is that it goes rancid if not kept refrigerated.

[Brian UL]

Ah, when I saw the tem 'cold milled" I thought of "cold pressed' thus oil. But I have both the seed meal and oil. I like the Red mill brand. The oil seems to have more nutrition for a smaller serving size but mabey that varies brand to brand.

edit: The only thing I can see that the milled seed has that the oil doesnt is fiber, but Im assuming one will be adding it to an already high fiber meal like oat meal. To confuse matters more I dont know how thorough the list of ingredience is from one company to another.

[cary bertoncini]

protein, complex carbohydrates, iron, calcium, lignan & other phytochemicals

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Just don't overdo it till you are used to it. It can er, get the stomach moving at racing speed ;-)

I don't carry it in summer due to going rancid – but in off season it is great. Btw, you can make a egg sub with it as well :-)

[Linsey Budden]

For taste I prefer golden flax. What a great idea to take backpacking–I eat it all the time at home. Usually I sprinkle ground flax (out of a dedicated coffee grinder) with yogurt and apricot sauce or jelly on sourdough pancakes. It is also good mixed with juice–you just have to keep stirring to keep it in suspension. PS> Hello Sarah, How do you use it for egg substitution?

[doug colacicco]

wonderful stuff you can get roasted flaxseed at tj's sprinkle some on oatmeal and honey mm breakfast of champions also on freeze dried seaweed salad amazing

[Laurie Ann March]

Linsey,

I have a recipe in my book for using it as an egg replacer along with several other replacement recipes.

For one egg you need 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed. Keep in mind that it will go rancid so it isn't a great idea to use on a long trip in very hot weather. But for trips under a week it is great. Also it will change the flavor of what you are baking so that makes it okay for things like breads and muffins but unsuitable for cakes and fry cookies.

[Joshua Mitchell]

Laurie,

I presume that means ground to flour-like consistency? Wouldn't one need to add a bit of moisture as well? (most likely simply increasing another moist ingredient somewhat) Surely the oil content of the seeds isn't quite enough by itself…

Ooh… if I remember correctly, Jiffy (my favorite cornbread) needs eggs… that trick would be sweet along with that (or another corn bread mix) to make your own version of the 'just add water' biscuit mixes…

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Linsey,
I have used it 1 Tbsp ground flax and added water till it reached egg like slurry (about 2 Tbsp water). It takes a try or two in the bowl to perfect but isn't hard :-)

[Laurie Ann March]

Joshua – you need to add 3 tablespoons of water to the grind. The consistency is more like a paste. Sorry I forgot to add that. It's on page 27 of A Fork in the Trail if you have it.

edited to add… I worked with several combinations of this and the 2 tablespoons ground to 3 tablespoons water is the only combination for a single egg that I found gave the right consistency to the baking. It's pretty close to Sarah's mix – just a little more water.

[Laurie Ann March]

also with cornbread or biscuits you will get unwanted flavor from the flax seed and you are best to use this from my book…

1 1/2 teaspoons tapioca starch

1 1/2 teaspoons potato starch (look for this with the kosher foods)

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

then add to that 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon of oil

beat with a fork until frothy

this will give you the equivalent of one beaten egg for baking

edited to add…. if you eat regular eggs at home you can also just buy powdered whole egg from places like WaltonFeed.com

[Joshua Mitchell]

"It's on page 27 of A Fork in the Trail if you have it."

Actually, didn't know it existed until this thread. ;)
It's now on my 'list to buy'.

[Laurie Ann March]

it's only been out a month but it took me several years to write – the beginning of the book goes through a lot of this kind of thing

[Laurie Ann March]

another thing you can do is sprinkle some flax seeds in a wrap – it adds a nice little crunch and boost the nutrition

i'm also a big fan of things like lentils and quinoa on the trail

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

If you have dental work be careful with munching on flax seeds – why I say this is the seeds, if stuck on your teeth soak up your saliva and swell up. Not fun if you don't have floss ;-)

One of my favorite energy bars are Olympic Munch bars – and they have flax seeds in them. Because of that I carry floss!

[Laurie Ann March]

I could see where that could be an issue. While I don't have problems with flax seeds – poppy seeds are especially annoying.

[George Matthews]

Laurie's book 'A Fork in the Trail' is fantastic. Even includes pictures. Great format.

[Laurie Ann March]

aww thanks (blush) – it is so good to hear that you like it

[Paul Sturrock]

When I learned that milled flax seed goes rancid in warm weather, I started searching for an ultralightweight grinder. I haven't found one that's specifically for grain grinding, but I did find a 2.5 oz. lexan pepper mill by GSI. Question: Is a pepper mill suitable for grinding small amounts of flax seed, e.g., 2 oz.? I believe you can adjust the coarseness of the grind on the GSI mill.
http://www.gsioutdoors.com/detail.aspx?c=3&sc2=53&p=73490&

I was also wondering if one could make a makeshift mortar from a bowl or pot and use something else as a pestle (what, I don't know), all without weighing much of course. American Indians used stone metates to grind maize, but I have no idea if something similar would work with flax seed and be lightweight, too.

[Laurie Ann March]

Paul,

I could be wrong but I think the oils in the flax seed might gum up the pepper mill.

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