To Fargo on A Stone Milling Adventure

So recently I, along with other farmers, millers, and bakers from the Midwest, had the great opportunity to take a trip to the Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, North Dakota for a weeklong workshop on the art and science behind stone-milling. This trip was largely made possible by a group called the Artisan Grain Collaborative, of which we are proud members. The AGC is a broad group, representing many parts of the Midwest regional grain system…farmers, millers, maltsters, distillers, bakers, all coming together to learn from each other to advance local, diversified grain economies across the Midwest. This is our first year of membership and it has been so exciting, humbling, and inspirational to connect with others from across the region. For our friends, customers, and others who enjoy and value local grain and everyone involved in making that possible in communities around the Midwest, if it’s within your means, please consider donating to the Artisan Grain Collaborative. I strongly believe groups like AGC, with strong leadership and passionate members, are the foundation for change and will play key roles as we work to develop strong local and regional grain economies that support vibrant and healthy Midwest communities.

So, enough with the soap box, on to my stone milling adventure! First off, the cohort I was part of was an amazing group. I’ve posted a list of some of these folks below. If you find yourself near any of these folks, I encourage you to reach out. It’s really cool to get to meet and interact with others from across the Midwest that are pushing the boundaries on local, artisanal grains.

Second, one of my goals for this trip was to dive in to the operation and maintenance of stone milling, and I find it hard to imagine there is anyone better to interact with than Andrew Hyne from New American Stone Mills in Vermont. Above all things, Andrew is just a good dude. The fact that he has so much experience, not just with making and operating his own brand of mills but also the broader history and operation behind stone milling in general, made it a great learning experience. I’m excited to bring some of these helpful wrinkles home to apply in our own milling. It also got the wheels in my head turning about potentially expanding into a new milling space for Firefly Fields, of course with a new New American stone mill as well! We’ll see what the future holds there.

My other major goal for this trip was to learn (i.e. nerd out) about evaluating grain and flour quality and how that extends into baking quality. My head is still swirling a bit with terms and concepts that I didn’t know I didn’t know, ha! But I did pick up some valuable methods, and much better understanding, of interpreting the tests we get back from grain/flour lab. There are also a few things I hope to incorporate into our milling processes to ultimately make a better stone-ground flour for our customers. I was also super inspired by some of the bakers in the cohort who are doing amazing things with stone-ground flour. I’m excited to try to apply some of their tips in our home kitchen as we look to bring forward more recipes to the website and help shine a light for our customers on how they can continue to incorporate more stone-ground flour and whole grains into their own kitchens.

I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity. I encourage all of you, in whatever you do, whatever your passion is, connect with others, in person if possible. Community is literally the underlying fabric all of us rely on. Without it, we are laid bare and exposed, but with a strong fabric there is not much we can’t weather. Thank you all for being family, friends, and customers. We look forward to continuing to provide grains and raw honey from the farm and, moving forward, I’m excited to grow with others to weave together a stronger local and regional grain system.

Mud Run Farm (Northeast OH)

Local Millers (Central OH)

Illinois Country Harvest (Southern IL)

Janie’s Mill (Central IL)

Branstrator Farm (Southwest OH)

Funks Grove Heritage Fruits and Grains (Central IL)

Doubting Thomas Farm (Northwest MN)

Loma Farm (Northern MI)

Baker’s Field Flour & Bread (Southeast MN)

Heartland Craft Grains (Southern WI)

Meadowlark Community Mill (Southern WI)