A grinding question for veggies and health food nuts

Factual Questions
1

I have a grain mill that I bought to grind chicken feed.

I have been toying with the idea of using it as a cereal mill,but I know nothing about processing whole grain for human food.

Is there a web site that I can access for information?
I have been looking off and on for the last 2 days and found nothing.

I have found a few things about preparing drinks but I think you just roast grain,no grinding.

Any suggestions?

2

bump

3

Golly, what size mill are we talking about here? One of those industrial-sized ones, or the little hand-cranked ones you clamp onto the kitchen counter?

Regardless, AFAIK there’s nothing particularly magical about grinding wheat or corn for people to eat. You don’t cook it first, I do know that. Grinding wheat kernels gets you whole wheat flour. Grinding corn kernels gets you cornmeal. Then you proceed from there, with your whole wheat flour or corn meal.

If you cooked the wheat or corn first, running it through a grinder would create an unholy mess, like trying to grind cooked beans or peas. Basic pulp, not really usable in cuisine, although probably edible.

I also do know that health food fanatics grind their own whole wheat flour as they need it, not ahead of time, because the oil in it makes it go rancid so quickly.

4

This came up with “grind your own flour” and “grinding your own flour” on Google. You can also try “home grain mill” and “grind grain at home”.

Some of these are commercial websites, but it’s got some good info.

http://newsletter.lehmans.com/articles/grains3_09301999.html
http://www.nutritionlifestyles.com/homemill.htm
http://www.drcranton.com/nutrition/bread.htm

5

I wish I could be of some service here, but I fear that my knowledge is severly limited. My grain mill makes only flours. I don’t think I would use anything that it produces for my chickens. I know that there are grain rollers available for under $100 that take oat groats, for instance, and make rolled oats, because I have considered buying one.

As for a web site, I have no idea. The company that made my mill was Magic Mill, but I understand that they sold out to another firm. Sorry to be of no assistance.

6

Thanks for the info guys.
Duck Duck
I actually have 2 mills. One of them is so heavy you can’t move it by yourself. It is made to be powered by a flat belt like they used 80+ years ago. The other is also old.It is a Montgomery Ward,remember them:),and is made to run on a v belt. It is pretty old too.It is the MW that I am interested in using. It is adjustable,distance between plates,so it could probably be used for flour. I think that I want to learn to grind cereal though.
Don’t know anything about that.As a matter of fact I don’t know what to do with it after I grind it.