At 09:14 AM 5/19/99 -0700, you wrote:
>SHOULD we be taking flax seeds?
>
>Mary

In moderation, I think so, especially if you
can get them really fresh. (Keep them in the fridge.)

They're a good source of omega 3 oils, and have
excellent fiber. They're also a pretty plant with blue
flowers, and you can even spin and weave the stems if
you feel like learning how to process them. Not many of
us have the time to ret and card and spin flax. No wonder
a good suit of clothes was worth a lot before the industrial
revolution.

Of course, you can't beat the freshness of picking the
seed directly from the plant. I like the feeling of
knowing what did and didn't happen to my food, and for
that there's nothing like growing it yourself in good soil.
I add glacial rock dust and organic compost.

The total amount of things like home-grown flax seed
or currants may be small, but the quality is superb and
I like the feeling of connection with the natural world.

Like Ray going out hawking and having a rabbit for lunch,
the ratio of calories from the wild to those from the
grocery store is not the whole picture.

Susan