Thursday, March 26, 2009

It's Here!

It's been a process coming to this - but I am so excited that my grain mill arrived over the weekend! (Thank you, Mehgan!) I opened it out of the box, had it put together and was milling flour in no time! We had fresh French Bread for dinner!!! Yummy!

I also found a source for local honey and am excited since we love honey around here! With my friend's farm-fresh eggs and our own garden going strong, I'm so excited about the ways we are finding to eat locally. We also have a lead on getting our beef locally and I'm excited about pursuing that in the future.

How about you? Do you produce any of your own food? Or eat from local sources?

42 comments:

Tracey said...

I'm going to try my hand at making my own baby food!

Mary Ann said...

Yeah! Hope you enjoy!

We have a source for raw milk and fresh eggs, but I haven't gotten any lately. We also can get local raw honey. I have a source for local grass-fed beef but haven't ordered yet from them;hopefully this next month.

I've found that farmers network. We found out about the honey and beef from the dairy. Next I hope to find a source for local organic chickens. I also want to go to a different farmer's market that focuses on local foods(not just veggies).

Jennifer said...

This is incredible! Where do you get your grain? Do you grow it? Or do you purchase it locally as well. I've never thought about doing this, but I'm sure that someone in my area has grain for sale. Can I be nosey and ask how much this wonderful gadget costs? I'm a new subscriber, so I apologize ahead of time if you've already discussed this. I'm just intrigued!

Katy said...

That french bread looks delicious! :) My inlaws own a meat market...where they get local meat...so we do eat local meat. :) We have chickens...so we eat fresh eggs too. We also have a huge garden to get fresh veggies soon! :) YIPPEE!!! Homemade, homegrown and local are the best!

Milissa said...

Oh we just got 60 lbs of beef...it is seriously the BEST beef I've ever had in my life. So we just put in our order for the next go round...we're going to need a freezer b/c we are buying 1/2 the cow. It will be ready in the fall! :) I'm hoping to do a garden next year...in the meantime, I guess we need to find a farmer's market. Too bad we're not real life neighbors ;) I am a city girl so I was a little freaked out about the beef...I like my meat packaged in the graocery store and I don't need too many visuals of how it got there, but my dear better half grew up on a farm...and I'm so glad I listened to him. I recommend you try the beef.

Anonymous said...

That is wonderful for you! We have been working on our own veggie garden and also looking for an organic source for beef. Enjoy your new grain mill, I bet the bread was amazing!

Jeremiah and Stephenie said...

We love the fresh eggs we get from our chickens!

Wendi said...

How great! I usually buy honey at the local farmers market. I am looking for a place to buy farm fresh eggs, but so far the drive has been too far to make it worth it.

Have fun experimenting with your new "toy"!

Bevy @ Treasured Up and Pondered said...

Yes!! We have been eating meat out of the freezer over the course of two years... as my hubby loves to provide in this way. We went in with some friends to "stock the freezers". IF you can get your hands on homegrown beef or pork (we even got a deer this year to add to it)- it is so worth it!! Cheaper too and you know what your getting. We also have a local milk and eggs store, that is as about as good as it gets short of having your own farm. It's such a blessing to have "fresh" meat available at your fingertips!!

: : I don't know, you're inspriring me to grind my own flour now, too.

Brie said...

That bread looks delicious! All of our beef is VERY local seeing how my husband raises black angus. Occassionally you get a tough cow, but for the most part, it's the most tender and juicy beef I've had!

Danielle said...

Mmmm, I am hoping to purchase a grain mill very soon!

We bought a 1/4 cow from our neighbors. So nice to not have to buy beef every week at the grocery store.

We have local honey, milk, eggs, and produce althought living further north kinda slows the process down. We have only been able to plant onions so far...still too cold and frosty for everthing else.

Jenn said...

Jumping up and down with you over here!!! How exciting. I'd love a mill someday....and your farm fresh eggs, local honey....and lead on organic beef...sounds pure and wonderful!

Here is MA we are very blessed to have access to lawful raw milk and raw honey.

Julie Willis said...

We've done a lot slowly over about 12 years. I started with a mill that had a finest setting with the consitency of cornmeal! You should have seen the loaves and tortillas..yikes! I've had a nutrimill for a couple of years now. Some of my girls were bummed. They liked it the old way!

We just got our own chickens this past fall. They're doing great. We'd like a couple more for our family size.

We've dabbled in gardening over the years. 4-H helped a lot with our tropical FL climate. Now we're trying to figure out how to get a larger more consistent crop. We also pick fruit oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and blueberries locally.

We really heart raw milk and cheese! We belong to coop for that. They also carry raw butter and cream. (A bit pricey)

We belong to a variety of coops for grains (sugar ,beans), raw milk, cheese and meats (tukey,chicken), and a vegetable coop (I REALLY like it!).

We did purchase a 1/4 of beef about 10 years ago...but we were not impressed (very boney). However, that doesn't mean we wouldn't try it again. The opprotunity hasn't presented itself.

We do can (a bit-jams,salsa and pickles) and dehydrate (mostly apples and herbs).

I really like the way we shop! I would say, take it slowly. Try to incorporate something new into each season or half year. Give yourself time to learn and let the Holy Spirit show you what's next for your family. There have been lots of things we've tried that just weren't for our family and we let them go easily. Try not to get caught up in "it has to be this way, or it's not the best".

Yes, I feel this way of eating and living is better. BUT the Lord knows better than I, what he has planned for my life and I need to be willing to change with him.

I'll jump down from the soap box now...

Anonymous said...

Wow that is great Monica! do you find the prices comparable since they aren't paying to ship it all over and manufacture it or is it a bit more expensive since it is such small businesses. Maybe I will look into the egg and meat thing when we move. I know Bill would LOVE fresh local meat. Not to sure how much of that we would have in our new area since it seems to be soooooo booming and we don't see to many farms.

Anonymous said...

Yes we do. We make our own maple syrup, get local eggs, raise a huge garden and harvest local produce such as strawberries, blueberries, grapes, rhubarb and apples. We preserve a ton of food by canning and freezing. Our pork is raise about 1 mile from our house and we raise our own meat chickens every spring. We also eat wild game. We have acess to local honey and dairy products including some wonderful cheese & organic milk. We are considering buying local beef but we don't eat much beef, so we are still up in the air about that.
We love having a hand in producing our own food and knowing where it came from and how it is raised.

Tammy said...

I am so excited for you! We have had our mill (same as yours) for almost 3 years now and we LOVE it! It has been such a blessing and I can't imagine eating store bought bread again!

We are in the central Florida area and it is challenging to find a good source for local food. We do buy local honey and if I drive about an hour or so, I can get eggs and some produce. If anyone out there is in this area and has a suggestion - let me know! I love buying local and eating as homemade as possible!

Unknown said...

We have hens for eggs, and I've been milling and baking our flour products (cookies, cakes, pancakes, bread, waffles, crackers) for over a year now. I don't have room to grow the wheat YET, so I'll buy it for now.
P~

Tracy said...

I never considered milling flour but that bread looks delicious!

We buy a cow from a friend of ours each fall and split it with my parents and brother's family. We have many farmers at church so we get our eggs from a couple of different people.

Summers are the BEST because everyone who has a garden brings their surplus to church so we get tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, green peppers, corn...

Now if I can just find some fruit trees...how long would it take an apple tree to grow I wonder?

Christy said...

I love getting local food for my family. We usually get a lot of produce/honey from the farmers markets but during the winter months I revert back to the grocery store to purchase those goods. Last year was my first yr canning some but this yr I really want to can more to help sustain us through winter.

Blessings!

p.s. you posted a recipe a long time ago for NY Crumb Cake. Well we have it probably once every 2 wks. So thanks for sharing it :)

Rosemary said...

I'm fairly new in reading your blog so I don't know which area of South Carolina you are from. I'm in the upstate and I can not find grass fed beef in my area. Everyone says the drought has prevented them from raising grass fed cows for the past couple years.

We buy what we can locally but anything that we can't find, we buy from The Whole Foods Market (which does buy as local as possible). We are growing a huge garden this year as well.

I have wheat bought up and in storage but I have yet to get an electric grain mill. Right now, I'm making do with a manual one that discourages me from using it very often. My dream is to have an electric one!

TX Doodler said...

I'm so excited for you with the arrival of your new mill! I've been watching a BlendTec Kitchen Mill on EBay since you 1st posted about milling your own flour. I think it's a wonderful idea & very nutritous. I'd like to try it.

I love to buy local fresh eggs, but haven't had easy access lately. There's a chicken farm east of us, that I'm hoping will work out.

We have 4 deer processed & in our freezer (we give a lot of it away also). We have a 1/4 of cow coming & hope to get some spring fishing in.

I'm starting our vegetable garden from seeds this year. Last year I did container gardens & bought our summer veggies locally at the Farmers Market.

Rachel said...

We are saving up for a Nutrimill and I can't wait until we get ours! Grinding flour in the coffee grinder just isn't cutting it! :)

Elise said...

My goal is to try a garden this year. My husband hunts deer and so we eat that in place of ground beef. I have seen a sign for grass fed cows around and local honey folks{that I cannot wait to try}. That bread looks delicious!!
Elise

Anonymous said...

Monica,

Your bread looks absolutely wonderful! Yum! We have sources for fresh eggs, raw milk, and local honey (Like Mary Ann).

For the past 3 years we have purchased half a cow from a local Rancher and oh my, it is the BEST beef we have ever had! I would highly encourage those who have it available to splurge and do this.

For those interested in Raw Milk, check out www.realmilk.com to see who in your area has shares available.

We also have a garden so we harvest from that and glean from our neighbor's fruit trees (with their permission of course) :)

Thanks for your inspiration Monica :)

Anonymous said...

i get my produce and milk delivered weekly from a local organic farm and distributer. i am also going to work on an herb garden and tomatoes this year, start small, but think big. i have a source for organic beef and chicken that i am looking into. mistyG

More than Survival said...

The bread looks YUMMY!! Enjoy!
We raise chickens and pigs (a couple in the summer for the freezer), have a garden (to eat fresh and can), have fruit trees, strawberries and eat deer and turkey meat that my hubby hunts (and fish from a local farm pond). My neighbor gives me grapes (jam) and asparagus. I have a local source for apples (apple sauce).
It feels really good to eat locally!
Keep up inspiring and encouraging others to eat as much whole and local food as possible!

Amy @ Keep'n The SunnySide said...

We have an abundance of fresh produce in our area. Several farmers markets just within a mile of my home. One of my favorite things about Spring and Summer is all the fresh, homegrown, healthy food.

Michele said...

I've had a grain mill for a while now. It's a different brand, but I love it. I'd love to get your local honey source. Our garden has been producing some fab lettuce and spinach, and there's all sorts of other goodies growing there.

I hope to have hens soon. I thought we'd get them last year, but I'm still waiting for a hen house.

Monica Wilkinson said...

You are all reminding me how far I still want to go! But, I am so thankful that we have been able to take even these seemingly small steps!

Jennifer:
* I get my grain through a local co-op through Bread Beckers. (www.breadbeckers.com) No, I do not grow my own - never really even thought about it! : )

* I bought my grain mill from one of my blog readers who needed to get rid of hers. It was practically new - and she gave me a very good price on it. Brand new from Amazon or a Bread supplies place - a new mill is about $270. Mine was not quite half of that. Once in a while, there is one on ebay or you may check in your area to see if anyone has one they don't want anymore.

Great questions - have a great day!

Erin said...

I grind my own grains, make all of our own bread products. Have a local source for eggs, honey, raw milk, chickens, and beef. I grow much of our vegetable produce, can what I can, freeze much. We are planting fruit trees and berry patches so in the next few years we'll be able to have berries added to this.

But the best part about this way of eating? I'm healthier. My kids are healthier. I used to have type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. No more. My sugars are normal, I've dropped a ton of weight, and still eat similar but no white foods (white flour, white sugar etc...) And a food budget for a family of 4 is right around 110 a week.

~Joan said...

I've been milling my wheat for 14 years. What kind did you use in the bread? Did you add anything to the recipe since you were using fresh-milled flour (dough enhancer, gluten, ??)??

~Joan

Anonymous said...

I get soooo excited when you blog about stuff like this...clothes lines, local honey, gardens, etc. It reminds me of how Grandma used to do it!
We have a few cows that are either giving us (and the neighbors) milk or beef. Plus a few chickens for eggs and just because I love to watch them peck around the yard! We only grow a few things in our garden, but we visit the farmers market in town often and I try to bottle the things that are in season. I haven't done much with grains....I hope to after reading your post & seeing your yummy looking bread!

Anonymous said...

That's great you found a source for the honey! We're picking up some bees next week - hopefully they'll produce enough this summer so we can have some for us (and save the rest for them for winter!). We also raise our own chickens, so we have fresh eggs and meat from them. And then our garden.....yum. We love producing our own food!

Next on the list is buying our own grain mill!

Montserrat said...

Way to go! Homemade bread made with freshly ground wheat just tastes so much better. I always feel like the Little Red Hen when we make ours. We usually make on average 16 loaves a week to feed our family of 9. We also have chickens that just started laying again now that the weather's warm. We get about 5-6 eggs a day. A little too early here to plant our garden still but we have made seed tapes so we'll be ready as soon as the weather is warm enough!

EL said...

That is such a great mill! We love ours!

Me said...

Oh, Monica, I'm jealous! I have wanted a mill for some time. I am really glad that you got yours! I am looking for a quality mill that is both electric and hand-wound and will get one eventually.

I really want to find an inexpensive raw-milk source. We used to have one years ago, and having the cream, too, was wonderful. I also want to find a source for organic chicken, eggs, etc. We have a health food co-op, but they are pretty spendy, which makes it hard to be able to buy it.

Sharon, thank you. I just read your post and checked out the Raw Milk site. We have one near us for $7.00/gallon. I know that it can get even more expensive. Does anyone know why raw milk is so expensive?

Joan, are you supposed to add dough enhancer or gluten to fresh-milled flour?

Great post!

Amy said...

That is so great that you have your own mill now- what a treat! We do our garden in the summer and we try to buy our meat locally too. You are definitely inspiring me to look into that further!

Anonymous said...

Haven't been to your blog in a while and forgot how sweet it is!We have a source for farm fresh eggs and go through about 2-3 dozen a week. Also, we have some friends here in the Sandhills area of NC that sell grass fed beef and chickens as well. The beef is especially good.
Wendy

*carrie* said...

Monica,

So glad it came! Maybe you could bring me some when you come out?!

I'm typing one-handed with little N on my lap!

Tammy said...

We have walnut trees, pecan trees, an apple tree, and three pear trees in our yard. I very much want to have a garden this year. We haven't had one since my husband went into the ministry 6 years ago. We also are trying to get set up to raise bees. My husband's brother already raises bees and will help us get started. We get fresh honey from him for now.

Rebecca said...

I made this french bread today with fresh milled wheat - and it looks like it's going to turn out divine! I don't know why I didn't try it before...

Michelle said...

A grain mill is the next thing I want to get. Our chickens give us farm fresh eggs, and we have a garden, and I get raw honey locally. I look forward to lots of canning and dehydrating this summer and fall.