One of the very first plants cultivated by humanity, domesticated in the Fertile Crescent some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, at the same time as wheat, barley, pea and lentil as "founder crops" of Neolithic agriculture. The scientific name Linum usitatissimum is eloquent — usitatissimum means in Latin "the most useful, the most used," which sums up everything this plant has given humanity.
From flax, we draw three great products: fibre (which gives linen cloth, already used to dress pharaohs and which wrapped Egyptian mummies), linseed oil (eaten or used to treat wood and to make traditional oil paint), and flaxseed (rich in omega-3s, now a modern superfood).
As a microgreen: elegant little shoots 5 to 8 cm, with fine upright stems topped by narrow lance-shaped cotyledons of tender green — a slender, minimalist silhouette, distinct from all the other microgreens already described. Subtle, refined flavour, mild, lightly nutty, with a mineral note and an almost herbaceous finish. Delicate, tender, almost airy texture.
Use: delicate garnish on cream soups, on savoury pastries, on fresh cheese, in smoothies (where it brings its omega-3 profile in living form), on morning yogurt with honey and sunflower seeds, or mixed with other microgreens for a mild, light blend.
Important particularity: like chia, basil, cress and mustard seeds, flaxseeds are strongly mucilaginous on contact with water — they coat themselves in seconds with a transparent gel (the same phenomenon as chia pudding, also used in vegan baking as an egg substitute).
- Soak: NOT recommended (mucilaginous seeds).
- Germination time: 2 to 4 days.
- Microgreen harvest: 8 to 12 days after sowing.
- Yield: about 1 teaspoon of seeds produces a 20 × 20 cm tray of microgreens.
- Best use: cream soups, fresh cheeses, yogurts, smoothies, mild blends.
