Hi! This is a great little salvia. The one I bought in December 2003 is still flowering; I think it only stopped flowering once for about a month in all that time. I've read that it self-seeds but I've only ever found one seedling. After the flowers fades just keep checking the calyces for ripened seed. They will be a dark brown, elliptic in shape, and measure about 2mm or 1/10th of an inch. There are often four fully developed seeds to a calyx so you should have plenty forever. I just tried sowing seeds I had collected in Dec 2003 and they germinated in a few days time. Below is a link to a pic of the seeds. Happy seed hunting! Cait Here is a link that might be useful: Coral Nymph seeds

steph- You don't say how much you are using at any one time, but I suspect if you are using them dry, that can actually have a dehydrating effect; so if consuming them dry use only a small amount of chia seeds at a time - up to 1/2 teaspoon. The sensation of hunger (especially soon after eating) can also be an indication of need for hydration. Try switching to the gel form and incorporating it into your drinks, cooked cereal and baking for awhile and see if you get different results. When making them into gel (1/3 c. chia seeds to 2 c. water, or if that's too thick for you, try 1/4 c. to 2-1/2 c. water), it is my understanding that it increases the nutrients in them if you allow them to sit (refrigerated) for at least 12-hours before using. This allows them to completely hydrate. They will keep for several days as a gel if refrigerated, and you can also freeze the gel in cubes (although I've never found a need to do this myself). Always mix dry seeds into the water, not water to the seeds, or else they clump. If you want to use them as gel, but sooner than a 12-hour soak, add them to water, stir, and let them sit for 5-minutes and stir them again (I use a small whisk for this). Allow the mixture to set up for at least 15-minutes. That's about the minimum amount it would take to hydrate them for using as gel. So no, there is nothing wrong with your chia seeds. Sorry to sound gross on a cooking board, but if you suffer from chronic constipation (one bowel movement or less per day) you may want to start out slowly using chia seeds, and increase it gradually in your diet. Try about 1/4 c. of gel per day and increase it up to 1 c. per day over a 6-week period. That "sluggish feeling" is probably from an inactive digestive system and a LOT of fiber not being processed properly. This is good general advise when adding any kind of high-fiber food to your diet, not just chia seeds. -Grainlady

I have been known to throw some into cookies or muffins. I can't eat them as "pudding" - if you soak them, they get swelled and slimey like tapioca. Dances.

Chia has different applications whether it's wet, dry or milled into flour. It's a little like (emphasis on little) the difference between vanilla pudding and tapioca pudding when you leave chia seeds whole. Soaked chia seeds makes for easier digestion; and once soaked are more than 90% moisture and soak up seven times their weight in moisture. I use a 1:9 ratio (or 1/4 c. chia seeds to 2-1/2 c. water), or any thickness you like, and store in the refrigerator and add it to baked goods, kefir/yogurt, as an extender in peanut butter or mayonnaise, add to pudding and cooked cereal, even added to butter where it will reduce the calories by 45% per total volume. Chia gel is a very good egg substitute -- for one whole egg use 2 T. of chia gel. Once chia seeds are added to a liquid you will see the viscous fibers on the outside (looks like a layer of gelatin around the seed). Always add the dry seeds to water, not pour water on the seeds (or they will clump together), and mix quickly with a small whisk. Let stand 5-minutes and whisk again. This is also called "prepared chia gel". It's best to let it sit for 15-minutes before using the gel to allow the seeds to fully hydrate. Another benefit of soaked chia seeds, they have a very high ORAC score. ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbency capacity, or the antioxidant value of a food. The higher this score, the more free radical fighting power the food involved posses. They are higher on the ORAC score chart than unsweetened cocoa powder and Acai berry. Chia seeds can also be sprouted and grown as micro greens. Added to beverages to aid in staying hydrated longer. Sources for this information: "The Magic of Chia" by James F. Scheer "Chia Seed Remedies" by MySeeds Chia Test Kitchen -Grainlady