Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-03
Grind Your Own Flour
and Save Much Money

The home grinding of grains is a
forgotten art that the present day
food situation is again bringing into
prominence.
The cost of the commercial grind
ing of grains-not grinding, bolting
and diScarding portion of the
product but merely grinding the
whole grain-is something like one
fifth cent a pound. With wheat at
two-twenty a bushel 1t is worth three
and two-third cents pound. Whole
wheat flour ought not to cost more
than four and one-half cents. If in
practice we have to pay six or seven
cents for the product, it is very easy
to see where one can save by using
the common hand mill.
There are a number of uses for
the home mill other than the making
of whole wheat flour. The home mill
may be used for grinding corn, rye
buckwheat and rice. All these
grains, as we'll as wheat, may be
ground in any form from mere
cracking to the finest flour. Grains
for porridge may be cooked whole,
but cracking them hastens the cook
ing process and makes mastication
less difficult. The finer the grain is
ground the quicker it will cook, and
the owner of the home mill may suit
his own pleasure in the matter OF
making different grades of cracked
grains for various purposes.
Still another advantage of home
grinding is that one may have q
fresher product and avoid loss due
to the spoilage of whole wheat flour
which is often in an inferior con-
dition when purchased and continues
to spoil in the consumers pantry.
In their natural condition grains
without sterilization will keep much
better whole than they will when
ground. One who has suitable stor-
age room may purchase wheat or
corn by the bushel and grind IL for
home use as the occasion requires
With reasonable precaution to pro-
tect it from dampness and mice, the
whole grain will keep we'll for the
season, whereas a similar quantity
of whole wheat -four or meal will bo
likely to become infested with insect
life.
Corn Flour
1t takes about ten minutes Ia
grind one pound of corn to fine
flour for baking purposes. This in
cludes a second run through the
mill. The second run is advisable
because with the grinding plates
tightly adjusted as they must be foi
fine flour, the strain is very heavy
considerable muscular exertion is re-
auired and the grinding is slow
The efficient and easy method is tc
run the corn through the mill fol-
the first time with loosened plates
thus breaking up the grains into 2
coarse meal Then tighten the
plates and put this coarse meal
through again.
Corn-MeaI
Five minutes grinding with suit
ably adjusted plates will make ont
pound of a coarse corn-meal for corn
mush or corn porridge.
Whole Wheat Flour
With plates tightly adjusted. one
pound of an excellent fine wheat
flour-fine enough for making loaves
or even light pastries-can be
turned through the home mill in
about four and one-half minutes
Because of the smaller grain it is not
necessary TO use two grindings as IN
the case of the corn.
Cracked Wheat
One pound cracked wheat can be
made in one and one-half minutes
Rice
In these milling tests only the nat
ural brown rice was used. Rice
grinds very fast. Being more brit
tie' IL uOes not tend TO" cake oi
form soft masses in the mill and
delay the process of grinding. \
pound of the finest rice -four car
be milled in three minutes. This
flour may be added to wheat -four in
baking or used to make blanc mango
or custards. Cracked rice is milled
in one minute. In this form it vii
cook much more rapidly than the
| whole grain or it may be added e
| oatmeal or corn for porridge.
| From Common Sense on the
Milling Question" by Milo Hastings
| in Physical Culture.