Grain Mills - Cooking - Garden Work

I'm starting to research grain/flour mills for home use.  If you have a flour mill at home and are pleased with it, please let me know what type you have and the best/worst features about it.  In the near future, I'll probably start sprouting some of the grain and semi drying it before grinding.  Not all mills can handle this type of process, that's why I need some input.

Wendy asked yesterday just what type of meals I could make with my weekly list of groceries posted on Monday.  First off, our pantry and freezers are stocked with items such as beef, chicken, pork and frozen fresh water Alaskan salmon .. as well as frozen and canned veggies and berries.  We have dry beans/legumes, short grain brown rice, dry oatmeal, healthy oils such as olive and coconut, dried garden herbs, tea, coffee, dried fruits, etc.    I keep these supplies stockpiled and restock anything that starts to hit the bottom of the barrel.  Cooked beans are frozen and bread is baked about every third day.  This makes it easy to put together almost any meal with very little weekly shopping.

Once a week I make a big meal on either Monday or Tuesday.  Extra food is prepared to have enough to make use of the following day in either some type of hash or fried rice dish.  I cook one big pot of rice to last for three or four meals during the week.  Last night we had a pork loin roast, brown rice with mushrooms and herbs, seasoned cooked green cabbage.  Tonight I'll chop up the pork and cook it with some onions, bok choy, carrots and the left over cabbage and rice for a stir fry dish.  I don't plan meals too far in advance ... however, I do plan our dinner in the morning so I have plenty of time to thaw out any frozen meat .. or soak beans the day prior to cooking.  Buttermilk is made every other day and used for veggie dips, and as a main ingredient in frozen berry smoothies for breakfast or a snack. I doctor up recipes to suit what is on hand.


Hubby set up my garden sink today.  More work is needed .. and then I'll post a few pictures.  Mrs. H, from Subsistence Pattern stopped by for a friendly chat ... and exchange of goods:)  She got home made soaps, a packet of watermelon seeds and a knit dishcloth.  I got from her some garden plants (a secret delight was the horseradish roots:) ...a regular old time neighborly swap meet.