Food Supplies

Not an expert so my opinion is very subjective, LOL! From everything I read the berries/groats etc. if properly stored can last for many more years than milled flour. I'll try to find a reference to post but have read that flour starts losing nutrients very soon after being milled/ground and storage life listed on web sites is in months but berries/grouts storage life is listed in years. Sorry this isn't as complete and informative as I'd like but I've used up my online "quota" for time tonight.

OK, that makes sense. So, it's best to get the berries/groats etc. Any suggestions on a grain mill that isn't too expensive?

Sonshine, the answer is wheat berries store longer than ground flour. It's the oils in the berries that will go rancid after they have been ground. Once the oils are exposed to air they start to sour unless kept refrigerated or frozen. All purpose flour has the outside(nutrients/oils) removed that's why you can store it longer.

This site sells wheat, but I find it a valuable resource for information on wheat berries and other grains. http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/buy_wheat_whole_grain_red_white_wheat_berries_making_bread_flour.aspx

This link is for information on grinders from their website which you might find useful. http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/index.aspx#Nutrimill

With your back problems you may want to reconsider a manual mill, they take a lot of your muscles/energy to grind a good amount of flour. UNLESS you are willing to pay the big bucks they want for the top of the line hand crank mills you will have to do multiple grindings to get a fine grade flour for baking.

Thanks for the links. I'm really trying to get all manual appliances. Eventually I would like to get off the grid and am working towards that. My back is doing pretty good since the surgery, except I might have a bit of arthritis in it because it does bother me when it rains. But you forgot, I have a 12, almost 13 yr old son and a husband who can do the grinding. When I make pasta, Tyler loves to turn the crank for me. He also enjoys kneading dough, although I usually have to do most of it to make sure it all gets kneaded and to prevent making a bigger mess. LOL

Sonshine the ones that are manual and can be motorized are supposed to do a fairly good job grinding fine, so you might want to check into those. I know there was one the website I gave you. I'd just hate to have to grind twice to get a finer flour. I have the grinder attachment for my kitchenaid mixer and it does ok, but my K-Tec electric one does an awesome job for wheat. I mainly use the kitchenaid for grinding corn now because the K-Tec grinds it into too fine of a powder.

Patrice, I'm checking out the ones at the site you gave me and plan on doing some price shopping. Thanks.

This is the heavy grinder/mill that I traded for when it was on it's way to a swap meet.

http://www.csbellco.com/hand-grist-mill-2.asp

and this is the lighter weight stone grinder/mill that came with it.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/stone-hand-mill-wheat-grinder-corona

Between the two I can produce some very nice flour. However my top choice for one that can used manual or connected to a motor or bicycle or something... is:

http://www.grainmaker.com/

In yesterdays "Proverbs" meetin' we worked with the "Alvin" manual vacuum sealer setup again as the parts they asked me to order arrived a few minutes before meetin' started. Don't guess this is any different in end results than vacuum sealing jars using a foodsaver type of electric powered vacuum sealer but everyone likes the idea of a manual (non-electric) backup plus no one in our group owns a foodsaver, or other brand, vacuum sealer. Upon group request we reread Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and then one of our menfolk brought a lesson on Praying as Jesus prayed, the main focus being when we pray to be willing to take some of the "burden" of the one being prayed for upon ourselves (hope I got that written down clearly).

--Dwight

Those grain mills are more expensive than we can afford right now.

I also have the following mill/grinder I bought new at a fundraiser for a christian school for $10.00. It works surprisingly well, especially for corn meal.

http://www.amazon.com/grinder-HEAVY-DUTY-manual-adjustable-soybeans/dp/B0038NTONK

and one of the couples in our meetin' group is thinking about this one as a manual backup to their NutriMill.

https://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FP%20M100_A_name_E_Hand%20Grain%20Mill

The way I got the two main hand mills was a interesting story. Took a old rifle to a neighbor for him to take to a flea market and sell, was hoping to get $75.00 for it. Saw the two mills I showed earlier on the neighbors trailer and offered him the gun for the mills. The rest, as they say, is history, LOL!

--Dwight

We've been trying to keep our eyes out for a good deal on grain mills. Sounds like you found a steal. If you happen to come across any more good deals, please let me know. We're really wanting on. I don't see any sense in getting wheat without being able to afford a mill. Right now we're buying up flour, but I know that it will go rancid faster than if we got the wheat berries.

Not really any update from yesterdays mid-day Proverbs meetin'. Was requested to put together another bulk order for the foodsaver.com jar sealers. Everyone who has seen the these sealing canning jars using the hand vacuum pump (AKA Automotive brake bleeder vacuum pump) is wanting a setup. We were so busy talking and demonstrating that we didn't even remember to make time to read a chapter from the bible. The other thing the group has done is make a bulk order of Big Berkey water filters (http://www.morethanalive.com/Big-Berkeys-In-Bulk) and the order just came in (we had a group order for 8 of them with 4 filter elements in each one) so a good amount of discussion on using them.

MissKitty's mother is having some skin cancer removed from a leg this morning, please remember her.

--Dwight

Praying for MissKitty's Mother. Please keep us posted.

We don't have a Big Berkey, but a guy Joe works with swears by it.

How did the surgery go for MissKitty's mother?

I have the Berkey Lite and love it. I like the fact that you can see how much water is left and how much you are adding to the upper chamber.

It was outpatient surgery and she did just fine, took about 1 hour total, was done using a "local" so she wasn't put to sleep, something she fears. Minor surgery if there is such a thing for a 90+ year old. Still... it made her surviving children "stop and think".... and reflect.... I would guess that to be very normal....

--Dwight

Thanks for the update, Dwight. Give Miss Kitty our love and wishes for a speedy recovery.

Sonshine wrote:Cotton Picker,
I was under the impression, although not sure where I had heard it from, that freezing will kill the eggs. We vacuum seal the flour, etc, after we freeze them. Can we stop the freezing step and just vacuum seal them? If so, that would sure free up my freezer for other things.

Hi Sonshine,

Sorry for the delay in responding.



The information I was able to gather suggests that freezing will not kill the eggs, it will only cause them to go dormant. However, the jury does appear to be out on freezing theory.

Freezing would be a good way to preserve flour if it was not vacuum sealed. Because the little vermin are oxygen breathing I cannot see how they could possibly hatch under the anerobic conditions of a vacuum and/or sealed containers infused with an inert gas.

Personally I would skip the freezing procedure if the flour is going to be stored under a vacuum.

Thanks Cotton Picker. So I've basically been doubling our work. It'll be nice not to have it taking up freezer space for a month.

Late Proverbs meetin' update. Well not alot I can think of to update, last week we discussed, among other things, grain mills and how we all are using the different typed of berries/groats. Yesterday we were talking about MissW's husband being snake bit last Saturday when an absent attendee, ArkMtnLady, called and said dinner was on the table and since I learned early in this life here in Arkansas... not to be late when she sets a table, LOL we moved the meetin to her place (just down the mountain from us). Turns out she had made a meal using lots of items MissKitty and I had dehydrated from the garden. Needless to say, it were fittin'!

--Dwight

Some updates on the weekly Proverbs meetin'. MissW brought a pan of homemade granola bars and shared the recipe... been working at keeping a pan in the fridge since that meetin but they are so good that's hard to do, LOL! Another week we made homemage noodles/pasta with spelt flour, also fittin!

MissW's husband has brought several good lessons from Ecclesiastes chapters 7 and 8.

--Dwight

Would you mind sharing the recipe for the granola bars, I've been looking for a good one? It's nice to see people willing to actively learn the "old" skills that will help them when money and supplies are tough to aquire.

Here goes....

Basics:
2 cup organic rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter (recipe says you can use almond butter instead)
1/4 cup honey

Add as / if desired to taste (substitutions encouraged)
1 cup carob chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped cashews (or almonds)
1 cup chopped dehydrated apple

Mix together, press into pan and chill.

Notes / Misc.:
I've got a bag of dehydrated mixed fruit I plan to try in these bars soon.
Add more peanut butter (almond butter) and honey if too dry.
I think I remember one of the ladies mentioning using shredded coconut
MissKitty usually makes at least a double batch if not more....
experiment......

--Dwight

Thank you!!! They sound oh so yummy and no baking involved so I'm off to the kitchen to make some ASAP.

Joe would love those with chocolate chips instead of the carob chips. thanks for the recipe.

Sonshine wrote:Joe would love those with chocolate chips instead of the carob chips. thanks for the recipe.

It's a very flexible recipe....

--Dwight

I plan on trying to make some this week-end. Hope you and Ms Kitty are doing well.