We often refer to our Natural Culinary Linseed (Flaxseed) Oil as being "Farm Fresh" - but what does that mean and why does it matter?
Ground Linseed and Linseed (flax seed) oil is very delicate, it is the omega 3 part of the oil that can suffer damage from heat and light and this is the most important part of the oil for health reasons. It must be treated almost like milk and be fresh from the farm!
Pressing on Demand for You (Applies to Natural Culinary Linseed oil only)
We ensure you get the fresh oil by having a batch, press on demand system. Generally the natural culinary linseed oil is sent to you 5-6 days from pressing and never more than 10 days. We do not think you will get it any where else as fresh! All our bottles are filled by hand and the oil is not pumped through filters and pipes, nature does all the settling for us and we just filter through muslin keeping the oil full of energy. Each bottle comes with a little silver label with the pressing date that is your guarantee you have the best quality fresh oil or meal made with love.
Don't take our word on Fresh!
You can go and look in any health food store for linseed or flax and you will find sell by dates from nine months to a year or even more. Once we have even seen three years as a best before date with no visible pressed date, although you may see a code. With this kind of system you cannot tell when the oil was pressed. It is our belief that many people will be buying rancid oil with a bitter taste. This is borne out by many who when they taste our oil cannot believe how delicious and effective it is compared to others they have tried.
Caring for Your Linseed Oil & Meal
Please keep your Linseed Oil in the fridge and use within about eight weeks. Ours will be good for a little longer, up to three months. However, it is the taste that will always be the test, if it tastes nutty and fresh it is wonderful and nutritious, but when it starts to taste bitter, this is the time to use it on the garden fence! The fresh linseed meal should be retained in a sealed container also kept in the fridge.
Choosing The Linseed Farm is your guarantee for the freshest and best loved Linseed/flaxseed oil available.
Have a look at our recipes page to find out how to use all these different products in your diet!
How do you press the seed?
Before pressing, the natural seed will be passed through the cleaner, passing through a stream of air and over sieves to reduce large and small particles, and elevated to the hopper above screw press then falls by gravity to feed the press. On passing through the press the oil runs into a steam cleaned barrel below and the residue is formed into cylindrical nuts that drop into a big bag at the end of the press. There is still a quantity of linseed oil left in the nuts and these provide excellent food value for livestock and as a key nutritional ingredient in dog and horse feed.
How often do you cold press the oil?
We press our natural culinary linseed (flaxseed) weekly. When the required amount of oil has been collected the press is stopped and the pressing barrel is labelled, moved and allowed to settle for 48 hours before the oil is run off through unbleached muslin into containers for bottling. These 25 litre containers are allowed to settle for a further 24 hours when the final bottling by hand is done and the oil is ready for despatch to the customer complete with a little silver label showing the pressing date. Fresh is definitely best.
How much oil do you press at once?
We estimate our usage over the 10 days and if we do over estimate then any oil older than 10 days will go into our animal feed oil bottles. There is minimal wastage.
How much oil from how many plants?
From 1 ton of linseeds we can realise about 250 litres of oil.
How do you make the meal?
In the case of meal, seeds are passed through a mill where they are ground after which they are vacuum packed. We generally try to do this on a daily basis which ensures the customer always receives freshly cracked or ground linseed meal. These products are marked with a milled date and a best before date.