he said, "well, why don't we just run around naked wearing fig leaves to cover ourselves while we're at it?!" :hahaha: he's the skeptic (sp?) with a dry sense of humor. :)

alycia

LOL, silly man.

I couldn't live without mine. I have the one that KA makes for their mixer. I like it but I needed something to do grits too (My kids and DH eat a LOT of grits). So, I got the FAmily GRain Mill from www.pleasantmillgrain.com. I am trying to sell my KA attachment.

michelle, does the one you've got "flake" as well?! :)
alycia

No, I can get a flaker attachment but we like cooked whole quinoa for hot cereal. It comes out much the same as quinoa flakes after cooking. I only use the flakes for cookies. Since we can't have oatmeal, I have not been concerned about the flaker. I need flour and grits.

Is the KA one the food grinder? I got the pasta maker attachment for xmas, and it says food grinder on the box as well. Can I use this to grind onions, and wheat?

that sounds like something MY dh would say in response. lol

michelle, more questions-- what do you mean that cooked whole quinoa turns out like quinoa flakes after cooking? this hasn't been my experience, but i'd like it to be! am i cooking the quinoa incorrectly? when i cook quinoa, it turns out like little pellets, just like it looks in the bag, but bigger and clearer. when i cook quinoa flakes, it comes out looking like cream of wheat or rice.

any advice?
thanks!
alycia

That is just what my dh would have said!!!! So skeptical of anything new!! but once on board he is on for life!!

Ok, quinoa, when cooked, . . . how do I put this. It is the consistency of quinoa flakes but not so mushy. I think I put too much water in the flakes. The little moon-sliver looking pieces are there in both. If you are not getting that cooking whole quinoa, then you are not cooking long enough. It is light and fluffy, all water should be absorbed. Here are instructionc from frontrangeliving.com

Basic quinoa

1 cup black or white quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
Put the quinoa into a fine strainer, and run water through it until the water is clear and no longer sudsy. If you don’t have a fine strainer, rinse the quinoa in a bowl filled with water, and then pour it through a clean dishtowel.

In a 2-quart pot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the wet quinoa and simmer over low medium heat uncovered until done, about 12 minutes for white, or 15 minutes for black. Quinoa is fully cooked when the germ has separated from the grain. It looks like a small white "C" shape surrounding each grain. If any excess liquid remains, pour it off and raise the heat to quickly boil off the rest. Stir in the salt.

Variations: Substitute canned or homemade stock, or fruit juice for the water; or add Marmite, Vegemite or bouillon. Adjust the salt accordingly.

After looking at this, I am not sure I cook quinoa right. But, I follow the instructions on the pack I got. I use twice the water than I have quinoa and cook until all water is absorbed, about 35 minutes. We love it this way.

Grain mill: I have the grain mill, not the food thing. It can only do grains, wheat, spelt, millet, quinoa, amaranth, rice. It cannot to corn, nuts, anything wet or too hard. This is the KA one. The Family GRain Mill I got can't do nuts but it can to dried herbs, corn (not popcorn) and all the others I mentioned. Plus minimal flax but I do flax in a coffee mill.

ETA: I just noticed the difference in my quinoa cooking and the recipe. I cook mine covered over very low heat. That would need more time.

I second pleasant hill grains. I have purchased the Bosch universal and my grain mill from them. Good prices, and pretty good service.
Just dont get the stainless steel bowl attachment for the bosch. Mine has broken several times and you have to go through another company to replace parts. The other company is nice, but it is not worth the hassle.

Tell your dh he could actually take a couple rocks and grind the grain for you then....Hard working men turn most women on so it would be to his benefit;) lol

I'd be interested in buying or trading for your KA attachment.

try stuffing peppers with quinoa- it's really good.

Yay. A thread about grain mills! :) My husband is a bit skeptical too...We joined a CSA, grow culinary and medicinal herbs from seed, are mostly organic, co-sleep, my almost 3 year old is still breastfeeding and he is fine with all that! ;) But I want a sprouter and a grain mill, and I might just be crossing the line. I would love to hear what you all think is a good reliable mill for a first timer. Also a good place to get organic bulk wheat berries, oats, etc.

Denise

www.somethingbetternaturalfoods.com has nice stuff in bulk.You save a lot on shipping if you can get on the truck route. www.waltonfeed.com has some organics.All I've ever had is a K-tec kitchen mill,nothing fancy and not expensive ,works for me!

A vita mix grinds grain into flour as well. Tell your dh it's fun!

We have a contactor fixing some things around the house this week, and I asked him to build a chicken coop for me. He said he can do it in April. I was excited. My dh is in the backgroud saying "You can't go to Italy, or even Florida if you have chickens!" The contractor turns to him and says "What? You don't have friends who can come and put a little food and water out while she's gone?" I laughed. Dh was still protesting. The contractor said to dh "You sound like my wife. She made me get rid of all my chickens 5 years ago". He turns to me and says "Let me know when you're done with this guy. I like a farm girl". .

So, some guys do get the 'farm girl-fig leaf' stuff. :kittypink

Oooh, yeah. Chickens. I want chickens. Our city allows chickens (hens no roosters) but you have to be 25' from nearest neighbor and we are a bit 'urban'...but some day. Last week I had a book from library about different breeds and caring for them, so I am working on him! ;) His main thing about moving out farther was his internet connection (software engineer) but now anyone can have internet anywhere, so... I always get Mother Earth News and read articles to him, so he is realizing many things are possible without giving up modern conveniences. Priorities, I guess!

Thanks for the tips on the mills and bulk url's. I think I am going to get that started this week. Help with the end of winter doldrums.

I get most of my grains from Country Life via www.somethingbetternaturalfoods.com. I also get some from http://ozark.coop It depends on who has the cheapest price when I am ready to order. I use all GF grains. I liked my KA mill I just sold but I needed a mill to do grits. The rest of my family loves grits. So, I got a Family GRain Mill to attach to my KA mixer. Now I have found a cereal that is GF made from sprouted nuts and seeds and dried fruit. But, it is $8/lb plus shipping. So, I am looking into getting into sprouting.

I want chickens again this Spring. Snakes keep getting ours. I am getting a nice mean rooster first to teach the dog that chickens aren't supper. ;)

I'm worried about losing chickens when I do get them. I keep hearing stories of skunks, racoons, coyotes etc getting to them. I also keep hearing that chickens attract mice. If that's true, I am going to also need a cat, as mine died of old age two yrs ago. lol

My poor, poor dh. He's such a great guy, just not an animal lover. He's too practical. "It's going to cost you more than $3 per dozen eggs to keep chickens". (And according to Amy D, he's right). $3 is the highest price for farm organic eggs here. (We live in an area where you can drive around town and people leave eggs in coolers, and money boxes out on their front lawns. The cheapest we've seen from one family is 1.75).

Anyway. Chickens and gardens and grinding grain into flour is very primordial and satisfying.

I saw some neat chicken coops that are easy clean and have an easily movable run. The whole thing can just move around your yard so that parasites, bugs, etc. don't get established. And then it is pretty wildlife safe at night. Since it is a funky hard plastic it is easier to sanitize and doesn't get the mites/rot problems. You can also use it as a case to carry them if they have to go to a vet, visit someone while you are on vacation, etc. It is called an EGLU, it comes in funky colors, and you can get the run to attach right to the front of it. pretty cool! :) It is a UK company, but I read in some US magazine you can buy it here.

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Chickens&about=the%20goodlife

This convinced my husband more since it doesn't look too ominous! ;)

:lol: That's funny.

I have a whispermill. I love it. I haven't been able to use it in a while due to our schedule. I need to make some bread, though. Maybe this weekend I'll pull it out and make some.

I also have a vitamix. It grinds grains as well.

What a really cool thing! Any ideas on where in the US? Catalog?

ETA:

Did some sleuthing, and they are only available (right now) in the UK. They are also $700 for just the house. Yikes.

There are tons of plans on the internet for portable coops, however. And for a whole lot less than $700.

At any rate, I am not sure I want a coop that looks so spage age. lol

I miss using my grain mill. I still have a 20 gallon container with a gamma seal on it of hard red wheat berries. I sold my Whisper Mill when we took Malachi off gluten. Couldn't have the wheat dust flying around. But I realllllly miss making my bread :(