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Blessings to the listmates!

Well here is the summary to the questions I asked about grain mills and
milling ones own flour.  Thank you to all who gave their input.  It was
quite helpful.

One respondent said they had asked the same question a year ago and sent
their summary.  Even so, I had several say they were considering a grain
mill and would wait for my summary.

>Reasons for milling yourself:  increased nutrition, cheaper flour (my
local investigation reveals I can cut the cost of flours in half!), and
better taste/texture.

>Reasons not to grind:  extra work, found cheaper sources for flour,
increased fat content in the flour.

Most respondents who are currently milling said the difference in flour
was such that they wouldn't go back to commercial flour.

Several brands and styles of mills were mentioned including Regal Kitchen
Pro, Kitchen Mill, Magic Mill 3, Family Grain Mill, Whole Grain Flour
Mill, Whisper Mill, and Kitchen Aid.  My own reseach turned up a variety
of other brands and styles.

Responses also indicated that a host of grains and nuts can be turned into
flour such as, of course, rice (brown and white), soy, garbonzo, corn,
quinoa, millet, and lentils.  I am going to try almonds and see if they
will work.

I settled on the Family Grain Mill for the following reasons:  moderate
price, large hopper, burr grinding, operated either electically or manually,
5 yr warrenty, German construction, no current backorder.  It has ground,
so far, white rice, brown rice, soy bean, and garbonzo bean into nice
flour.  Next I will be trying lentils (dirt cheap around here!), corn,
and almonds.

The mills come in four types: stone, burr, roller, and impact.  Each has
its own advantages and disadvantages.  stone is the finest and sturdiest
but cannot do oil-bearing grains such as soy bean.  Burr will grind nearly
anything but not quite as finely as stone.  Impact is the fastest and
also the loudest but will not do the harder grains such as corn and garbanzo.
Roller is better suited for making cracked grain cereals.  I have a
three-page summary and chart of my grain mill research that I presented
to the emergency prepardness committee at my church.  If anyone is
interested in the information, drop me an e-mail and I will gladly send it
to you.

Aaron Atkinson
Moscow, Idaho
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