Sprouting Wheat for Flour

Many people with more eloquence and a lot better pictures have touched on this topic before. But here's my take on it. We started grinding our own flour, because grain stores longer than flour, plus it makes better bread.  Having done some research on sprouting it's generally accepted that sprouting the wheat berries makes it more digestible. It unlocks more nutrients and is assimilated better into our bodies.

First off I start with white wheat berries, I intend to try spelt, and emmer in the future. I don't measure exact amounts when sprouting I just roughly fill each 1/2 gallon mason jar to the 2 pints line. Then I fill each jar to rinse off the grain a few times. I use the handy green sprouting lid so I don't lose any grain when dumping out the water. I've also used cheesecloth and a rubber band, whatever works right? After the grain is rinsed, fill the jar with water and let it sit overnight 8+ hours. I usually go in the neighborhood of 12-15 hours soaking, it depends on when I fill the jar and when I remember to dump it out, it's a pretty forgiving process. The grain should've swelled to almost filling the jar, which is why I leave so much room at the top!



The next morning dump out the water and begin sprouting. It's exactly the same as all other sprouting at this point, rinse grain and keep it moist by rinsing twice a day am/pm. Until it sprouts tiny tails like above right.

Now comes the drying part. I layer the grain into 2 electric dehydrators using the fruit leather trays so the grain doesn't just fall through. Then I plug in and dry it all day. One of my dehydrators is faster so I just monitor it. You could also build one of these to avoid the electricity, which I do intend to build now... a pellet stove dehydrator. The grain should feel just as it did before sprouting, meaning it can't be crushed by a fingernail and it looks similar to this.

To grind it I use either my country living grain mill or my vitamix dry blender. I know the country living grain mill can grind it to the powdered flour consistency I'd need for bread, but it's really difficult. But grinding it to a "cornmeal" feel is rather easy (and a good arm work out). To get it the rest of the way I'll use the vitamix. But for this demo I use the blender the whole way because picture taking is just easier that way.

Before I grind I put the grain in the freezer, this keeps it from over heating during milling and having the oils go rancid. The risk is low for only grinding for a short time. In the blender it takes just over 1 minute to grind 2 cups of grain into flour. But I'd rather be safe than sorry.



Here's some links for more sprouting info. GNOWFGLINS and sprouted bread wiki style.

Now go make some bread! Any leftover flour I freeze, because flour with the bran inside it, like this has, will go bad much faster. Plus it's not "fortified" with anything to keep it's shelf life. So leftover flour --> freezer!

Awesomely Ugly Bookshelf

Garden used 2x4's split to make 2x2's and leftovers from our flooring project 2 years ago. Re-purposed bookshelf!

Fire Starters

I saw this online years ago, I and I thought it would be a good idea. Homemade fire starters. I really have no use of these in our fireplace because the kindling is dry and the draw for the fireplace is so good. But outside fire pit's, camping or other such uses for a slow burning fire I figured I'd make some up.

I keep candles that the wicks have burned out, or the bottom sludges of wax from a tee light for just this purpose. The wax doesn't have to be clean like it would for cosmetics or lotion. Dirty ugly wax works just fine.

Ingredients for homemade fire starters:

Leftover wax
Cardboard egg cartons
Dryer lint ( I haven't used my dryer in about 4 years so I had to acquire this from my Mom.... or Neighbor Kara)
Heat source to melt the wax, I used an old pan and bowl to make a double boiler

Divide the dryer lint into the egg compartments and then pour the melted wax over them. There is no perfect amount of wax, just cover the lint. I had a bit too much wax, and it soaked into the cardboard too. Which isn't a bad thing, it will burn slowly allowing you to start your fire if the situation isn't perfect for fire starting. Wind, rain and other general weather. I haven't used these yet but I intend to this summer!

Hunters Safety

Jake and I signed up for hunters safety yesterday. We're not sure if we intend to hunt but the class is free with a $10 refundable deposit, after you show up you get it back.  We don't even have any guns yet and the last time I actually fired a gun was in 8th grade gym class (I grew up in Montana ok...).  Hunters safety might turn into something or just be nothing, regardless it can't hurt.

Camp Freezer day

Chickens on Strike

Since about late September our chickens have been on strike. We fought with them all year about going broody. Once a month each chicken would take it's turn at broodiness. We kept breaking them of it, only to have the cycle repeat. It got old. So by late summer early fall we decided to hell with ya'll just go broody then! I think we collected our last egg sometime the last week of September.

Broodiness was then followed by molting. To which one of my girls is just now growing back feathers. I thought we might loose her for a while there because she was so naked. Everyone has pulled through with a new coat of feathers and no baby chicks (big wonder there as we don't have rooster.)

Yesterday we found this:

It seems as though one of are girls has decided to cross the picket line. We have a scab on our hands! I thought for sure we wouldn't see any eggs from these girls ever again. I intended to put a few of them up for sale as many people are looking for a hen that will go broody. But the rest were going to meet the stew pot by April if they didn't get there act together. Possibly we won't have to worry about that because it looks like we might start seeing some production around here!

I'd love to get some fertilized eggs and stuff them under one of our girls just to see what happens, but I've been unable to find
any locally.

I heard some chicken grumbling a while ago, so there might be two eggs to put in here. I always find it amazing how loud they are after such a long stretch of quiet. At least my girls are quiet when they go broody/molt. They sure complain about egg laying whenever they actually get around to it.

Fireplace Journey from Gas to Wood