Flax

I've been thinking about growing Flax for the edible seeds and today, at the Seed Swap I acquired some Flax Seeds. Interestingly, there is a local project to grow Flax to make Linen and the seeds that I have are from this project. I didn't know there was such a project but I'm intrigued now. If I can grow it, harvest the seeds and donate the plants for processing I will. There's no hope of me doing the processing! But I'll be keeping watch on how the Project gets on. 
More info on their Blog at https://welshlinen.com/home/

I watched a YouTube video on turning flax into linen. It was fascinating but a very long process.

I think growing flax might be on the same line as growing lentils.

More info about growing Flax and other things that produce fibre - like nettles https://www.wildfibres.co.uk/html/grow_flax.html

Another plant that has been used for thousands of years by humans and there predecessors.

This is the Group that gave me the flax seeds. I think I'd be good at "Heckling"...........and "spinning a yarn".
  ·
Llieinwe - Flax to Linen exhibition is now up at Waterloo Tea in Whitchurch Road, Cardiff. Produced by the Making n Mending Club who meet at Global Gardens project.
You can see the whole process of making linen from flax, which has been grown by the group at the gardens and St Fagan’s museum of Welsh Life. We’ve been growing flax and learning to make this beautiful fibre for three years and are about to plant our fourth season. There’s our first little piece of hand spun, hand woven linen on display made by member Amber, we are so grateful! Also showing beautiful embroidery, naturally dyed linen cloth and lino prints (lino is made from flax seed oil!)
On Easter Monday, we’ll be showing flax and the process at the museum, 11-3 in Kennixton barn. Call in and have a go at rippling, heckling and spinning! We’ll have seed you can take away to  join in with growing and making local, sustainable fibre.

I met the Flax ladies again today - and acquired some more flax seed! The ladies were telling me how, seeing the whole process from sowing the seed, harvesting and processing the stalks into fibre and linen cloth, has made them appreciate how "valuable" linen was in earlier times. We take our clothing for granted these days - and so much of it isn't even natural fibres - just churned out by machines. If we had to go back to growing our own linen, or spinning wool, we wouldn't be so cavalier about chucking old clothes in the bin. Not that I throw much away!
They were telling me how they snack on the seeds when they are harvesting the stalks - and this is what I want to do. - grow for the edible seed. Until now I've been puzzled why flax seeds are so different to linseed which is also flax. It seems they are different varieties of Linum - a short one that produces linseed and a taller one that is grown for the fibre. Obviously, it still produces seeds which are edible. I need to find out more.

I’ve watched a few YouTube videos on it. Excellent middle of the night insomnia viewing. It’s a fascinating process and a time consuming one.

I’ve already told you this ! Sorry, must be a lack of sleep thing!

Interesting. I eat flax seed regularly, both whole and milled but with like a lot of things I'm unlikely to grow enough to be of any use. Chewing on whole flax seed would get the molars and jaw muscles going. I never thought about how the linen and linseed flax plants were related.