Misty Milling Morning

When I look out today, I see a very grey sky. The mist that hangs thick whiting out the town road in the distance completely, speaks of possible and even likely torrential rains in the coming days. I don’t need a weather forecaster to tell me parts of the city of Boston and surrounding areas may see some flooding in the coming days. I am a New Englander. We can read a sky as well as an old Irish fisherman. Get me a visual on the tide and I can read that too. I can also read the ocean floor. I am less fluent in the forest in my reading ability but I am not helpless either. Out back on the hill veiled in the New England Fog that we usually see during mud season in November, the goats are looking none to happy. They hate rain. I suspect they can read the sky as well as I can. The damp in the air is not going to make it onto their happy list that is for certain. Goats, originate in an arid region. Same with sheep actually as they are two sides of one coin with some chromosomal differences. Ahhh yes, the things you learn and that become meaningful to you when you leave the real world behind and opt for a different kind of life a farm life close to nature. Goats are not the only thing you learn about.

You learn about the fine art of milling fresh flour from wheat berries. Something I am doing this morning while the fire in the wood stove heats up and gets going. It is a cold day misty day. I would bet money tomorrow will be much warmer. The sky says rain not snow. Unless temperatures rise the only possibility will be snow. So temperatures are about to go up. For now though in the kitchen near Old Rusty, just beginning to put out heat with the sound of beautiful Christmas music in the background, I will be busy milling some soft white wheat berries to be used in tasty ginger cookies, a Christmas delicacy.

One day I will do a post on the merits of different kinds of wheat and material one can mill with a little electric counter top mill like this. For now, just wanted to post and open the doors that this can even be done. Most people have never even seen a little electric mill like this. It doesn’t take particularly long. It can take some learning to use. The things I hate about it most are the way it jams sometimes and the way it over heats on occasion and shuts down. But, if you do it in phases over the course of the day, or if you don’t need an alarming amount, just a more standard amount, it works great and you can probably do it all at once. I now drop my wheat berries into the mill by the quarter cup. Once the sound of it running changes and I know that amount has been ground and spit out into the bowl I pour in a new quarter cup. I try to stop short of doing more than 2 and a half cups without giving it a 20 minute rest to prevent the overheating I spoke of.

Freshly milled flour is more nutritious as it has it’s oils and far more protein is left in it than the stuff you get at the grocery store. This stuff is also preservative and far more chemical free. You store the wheat berries in plastic bins in an air tight container somewhere cool and dry. Get it out as needed. Wheat berries properly kept can stay good for up to 20 years. Where as stored flour purchased, contains more chemicals, and has a shelf life. It has also lost a good deal of it’s nutritive value.

A word of caution…Wheat fresh or store bought is NOT good for everyone. I am so sick of reading the false information put out by others. That anyone even those who can’t have Gluten can eat sour dough bread made from self ground wheat berries. This is a dangerous lie that is going to do very real harm and damage to people and their health. If a doctor has told you not to eat Gluten, then fresh ground flour will upset you as much as any other Gluten filled snack you have ever eaten. This is a medical certainty and a scientific fact. If you have a condition for which Gluten is contra indicated, even self milled flour will upset and damage your system. Please avoid it.

That being said…. We have a very stupid fad right now traversing this country. Everyone, their mother, and their pet cocker spaniel, is “Gluten sensitive.” Ever since they heard from Aunty Josephine, that their 7th cousin’s, college roommate’s, daughter’s, boyfriend’s, nephew’s, best friend’s, sister’s, homeroom teacher has a problem with Gluten, they suddenly have a problem with Gluten too. Gluten, actually has health benefits. Being a trend follower to avoid carbs and creating a fictional narrative around how you just can’t tolerate Gluten is also not healthy and it’s not helpful. If you think you have a legit Gluten problem go see a doctor and find out. If you just heard it’s bad and have stopped eating it and are now having issues that developed since hearing that Gluten is bad and carbs are bad…. No offense, but you do not have a particularly strong mind. You are very much the victim of suggestion and you are making yourself less healthy by cutting out Gluten.

Let’s discuss what Gluten is for just a moment. It is a protein found in wheat and in some other grains. It occurs naturally. It is sometimes extracted, concentrated and added to processed foods (something none of us should be eating,) to help hold it intact. Rye, Barley, and sometimes Oats, all contain Gluten. Oats only contain Gluten when processed with other foods containing Gluten, they do not naturally contain Gluten but it isn’t uncommon to find them with it. Protease, is a digestive enzyme. It helps us process proteins. It does not fully break down Gluten. What remains travels to the small intestine. The very vast majority can handle undigested gluten in the small intestine just fine. Humans, have been eating wheat and breads since…. Someone invented fire. At first we may have lacked yeast and our bread may have been rather flat…. But we still ate it and it must have been good as studies show it was a pretty regular occurrence in the early Homo Sapien diet. Gluten, in healthy moderation for most people is very healthy. It helps provide people with protein and soluble fiber. Gluten in whole wheats helps fight weight gain and diabetes. It helps with blood sugar swings, and other health conditions. What is upsetting most people’s stomachs is not the gluten. It is the over abundance of salt and sugar and other highly processed ingredients in the foods they are eating.

Celiacs is real. So is Gluten Ataxia, and wheat allergies, and yes rarely there is someone who truly is just gluten sensitive. But if you are not bothered enough to see a doctor that probably isn’t you. If you think you have real issues with Gluten that live outside your imagination please do see a doctor because it can be a very serious matter. But for most people the issues with Gluten live in the mind. Most people are trend followers. I see it all the time on forums about fresh milled flour bread. Folks desperately wanting to follow 2 trends at once thinking both sound super healthy, driving themselves crazy over it. One trend is super healthy, the other is a fad, that will cause negative health issues for most people.

Personally I think it says the most about the health of people’s minds and ability to do independent thinking, this unhealthy anti Gluten fad. Healthy people can do their research. They can recognize credible and legitimate sources of information. They can apply common sense and logic to stuff like fads about milling wheat. For example, they understand the milling process does nothing to remove Gluten. Ergo, if they don’t get along with Gluten in other things, they won’t get along with fresh milled sour dough bread or any other fresh milled product either.  They are able to hear something and realize it is someone else’s issue not their own, when they don’t suffer from a health condition of relevance to the issue in question. They can understand that everyone has independent health from everyone else. We all live in our own bodies with our own health issues. What impacts one person with a legit health condition will not impact you necessarily in the same way if you lack said health condition. Obi Wan Kenobi, would have had a field day with the anti Gluten for no reason crowd. “These are not the Glutens you are looking for.” I heard it on good authority once that the force can have a strong impact on the weak minded, which is the problem rather than the Gluten. Sometimes it is your mind that is weak and not your small intestine folks.

I know my facts are correct. I researched them. From sources like John’s Hopkins, and other legit well respected medical sources. I also check my valid source’s information against the information provided by other valid and legitimate medical sources, to be absolutely certain that they match. I have also talked to people with conditions related to Gluten, such as Celiac. In addition, I literally did a course through Cornell, on plants as medicine. Wheat is a plant. So is Rye. Correct information about health matters. It is super important to understand how the body works and doesn’t, related to everything but in particular to the stuff we put into it.

I was lucky to have been born with a curious and independent mind. It has proven to be a major asset for homesteading, though not for much else. Being able to buck fads and pay attention to the facts and the science, or to ask why. Then seek a credible legitimate answer, rather than accepting a common and easy answer, while painful as a child, has proven hugely beneficial as a homesteader. Being able to use common sense and logic are hugely critical for homesteading activities. Many homesteaders quit because the physical labor is hard. It can be. But the practice of common sense and thinking independently are also key and can be just as hard on people. The brain is a muscle you must exercise. Any time you take any information at face value without a deep diving legitimate sources, and comparing the information given by all of them, you are making a mistake. Not understanding not all sources of information are equal, is also a mistake. A mistake that is about to come home to roost likely in some pretty terrible ways…. This is the internet, most here seek to make money off being here. Most post stuff for the ads to earn money. A large percentage, don’t even care if the information is true or accurate. Just that people clicking on ads makes them money. How many ads do you see on this site? At the moment 0. Perhaps in time that changes perhaps not. Either way, I take pride in being a free thinker and in not being bound by the common. So weather there are ever ads on this site or not, information here will be good and hopefully of value. I am here to share my experiences and activities homesteading on my little 5ish acre piece of land in the heart of New England. Fresh milled flour is part of my homesteading tradition.

Another time I will give more information about the kinds of things you can mill and about baking with self milled flour. I thought dealing with this issue first made the most sense.

Anyway, I dunno what is wrong with me today.
I seem cranky. Not even sure why.
But it happens sometimes.
I guess I just really love fresh milled wheat and I want to share this passion with everyone who is safe enjoying it with me.
After everything that has gone down of late in my homeland, it seems the weak minded are everywhere. It has really become such a problem, one that is even impacting health.
It stinks so many won’t allow themselves to do the healthy thing because for a very few it is very unhealthy.
Thanx for reading
Amanda Of Wildflower Farm