Flexible flax a healthful and tasty supplement

Last summer as I was browsing through London's Borough Market, an epicurean emporium, I came across a stall offering flax products. "Flax?" I thought to myself. "Isn't that for old people and health nuts?" I started to walk away, then spied a treat I look for whenever I travel to England: flapjacks.

The chewy, slightly crumbly baked snacks are similar to American granola bars -- a mixture of oats, dried fruit and nuts or seeds. This version contained ground flaxseeds, which gave the bars a toasty flavor. After one bite, my negative opinion began to change.

I talked to Clare Skelton, of Flax Farm Linseed in West Sussex, who was running the stand. She spoke to the wonders of flax -- both its health benefits and its intriguing taste. She told me how to use the ground seeds (often labeled "flax meal") in baking and the oil as a dressing for vegetables, or even as a condiment for soft, fresh cheeses, accented with herbs and black pepper.

Back stateside, I mentioned my flax discovery to my aunt, Ann Hauck, an inventive cook who is mindful of the nutrition in the food she prepares. She was surprised to hear I hadn't already jumped on the flax bandwagon.

"I use the oil all the time," she explained, describing how she splashes it onto potatoes as a substitute for butter. A few hours later, she mixed flax oil with Japanese umeboshi paste, made from preserved plums, and brushed it onto grilled corn on the cob as a seasoning that had much more complexity than butter, salt and pepper.

Mark Askegaard, a farmer who grows 70 acres of organic flaxseed near Moorhead, Minn., likes to sprinkle a spoonful of the seeds into his morning bowl of oatmeal, or blend a few tablespoons into a breakfast smoothie.

Across the border in North Dakota, Askegaard is joined by producers who harvest the nation's largest crop of flax, all of whom are conscious of its beneficial properties. The seeds are rich in fiber, and the oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Thinking back on the creative ways people incorporate flax into a variety of dishes, I realized that a seed had indeed been planted in my culinary repertoire and has grown into a collection of delicious, nutritious recipes.

Andrew David Baker is a freelance food writer who lives in Edina.