Use

Linseed is particularly valuable for oil pressing. Organic linseed is suitable as a remedy against constipation. It is used in bakery products, where it gives the typical nutty aroma and fibre both on and in the dough. Organic linseed enriches vegetarian and vegan dishes with valuable protein. Linseed tastes good as a muesli ingredient, as a satiating side dish in vegetable pots or roasted as a topping for soups and salads.

Production

The annual plant reaches a growth height of 20 to 100 cm. The strong tap root, which forms fine lateral roots, usually also corresponds to this respective length. Flax grows upright, the plant is bare. The stems branch off in the area of the inflorescence.

Although flax is a suitable insect food, pollination is mostly by wind and self-pollination. The still closed flower brings the pollen itself to the stigma early in the day by turning it. In the morning the flowers open, the table is covered for nectar-seeking insects. Only a few weeks elapse between June and August, depending on the sowing date.

The common flax makes only little demands on the soil. Only stagnant moisture, compacted and boggy locations are not tolerated. As far as the water demand is concerned, the oil flax is far more frugal than the fibre flax. Only in the strongest growth phase from May to June is regular precipitation important, but this is the case in the main growing areas around this time of year.

Origin

The common flax is a pure cultivated plant. However, reintroduction is possible. This flax comes from biennial flax. Its original homeland is the Mediterranean. It was cultivated in Mesopotamia as early as 7,500 years BC. In all probability, the first common flax was also produced here. We obtain our organic linseed in brown and golden yellow from selected suppliers in Eastern Europe and China. A constant quality is important to us, which also satisfies our customers.

Sustainability

Common flax is a valuable plant for sustainable agriculture. More and more farmers are preventing the exploitation of arable land through crop rotation. In this way, only certain nutrients are extracted from the soil each year, while others are added. As a result, less fertilizer has to be used. The susceptibility to diseases and pests is also reduced with this type of cultivation, as they lack intermediate hosts and forage plants over longer periods of time. Seed oats are often cultivated as a previous crop for the common flax, while maize is cultivated after flax. Oil extraction produces by-products such as linseed meal and linseed cake. They are further processed as animal feed, which plays an important role especially in cattle farming.

Harvest

After a vegetation period of around 120 days, flax is ready for harvesting. Both fibre flax and oil flax seeds are suitable for consumption. The fields are harvested with combine harvesters. Special harvesting machines are required for fibre flax so that the fibres can be fed undamaged to further processing steps. After threshing, linseed is cleaned of impurities and gently dried.

Flavor

Linseed tastes nutty, mild to savory depending on the variety.

Yield

Most of the 3.5 million annual harvest is still conventional. Canada alone accounts for about half of total annual production. However, organic linseed is becoming more popular with buyers.

Special feature

Linseed is light, the thousand grain weight is between 8 and 15 g.