Avivah Werner

Author: Avivah

  • Pressure cooking chicken soup

    On Thursday night I tried something I’ve never done before – I used my pressure canner as a pressure cooker to make our chicken soup/stock.  I’ve known how much faster pressure cooking is, but for whatever reason never did it – probably because doing something new takes conscious effort.  For some reason on Thursday I felt motivated to try it and see how it went – and it was great!

    Usually when I make stock, I let it simmer for hours to leach the nutrients from the bones.  Generally I start it before I go to sleep, and let it simmer overnight, then turn it off in the morning when I wake up.  It’s a pretty easy way to do it, and it doesn’t take much of an effort.  But it’s nice to learn to do things more efficiently, and this was a good opportunity to implement something I’ve known about for a long time.  (Often I feel I’m at least a year behind on my ‘to do’ list – so many new things to learn about and try!)   

    My pressure canner holds 23 quarts, and I filled it 2/3 of the way full.  It took a long time to bring that amount of water to boil and then for the necessary 15 lb of pressure to build up, but once it was at that point, it only took ten minutes to cook the stock.  Ten minutes, instead of 8 hours!  That means it’s costing me 1/8 in energy costs of what it cost with my overnight method, and since gas/electric rates are rising steadily, it’s good to find ways to achieve the same results with significantly less energy. 

    Not only does it save in cooking time, but it also doesn’t get the kitchen as hot as having the pot simmering for hours.  Usually there’s a plume of steam rising from the simmering pot of stock, but when pressure cooking there isn’t a significant amount of heat that escapes, so the kitchen stayed cooler while cooking it than it usually does. 

    The next thing I’d like to try pressure cooking is beans – that’s the other thing that I cook that takes a long time – maybe this week I’ll have the chance.  When I bought my pressure canner a year ago, I had no idea how economical a purchase it would end up being – I keep finding more and more ways to save time and money with it!

    Avivah

  • Online textbooks instead of conventional

    I like when people realize their financial limitations and look for ways to cut their spending and live within their means.  And now the governor of CA is being forced to look for solutions of his own to his state’s disastrous financial situation (they’re expected to run out of money in about 2 months), and he’s looking for ways to cut back government spending.  (I often have wondered if govermental spending has any limitations, so it’s nice to see that there is a point when even government officials recognize they can’t keep on spending – too bad things have to be extremely desperate before cuts are considered.)  One of the things he’s planning is to cut out conventional textbooks.  What does he plan to use instead?  Online textbooks. 

    I commend the government officials for trying to find solutions out of their dilemma.  This would be a big savings, and it was also pointed out that it will be better physically for the students since they don’t have to shlep around all those heavy books. 

    As far as the value of the texts themselves, in my opinion, getting rid of most textbooks isn’t much of a loss.  I’d be hard pressed to think of less effective ways to learn than from standardized textbooks, unless it’s to listen to a teacher droning on and telling the students the exact information they could read for themselves in their textbooks.  But replacing them with online versions of the same dreary works isn’t going to improve student learning or retention.  Though I love to read, I see online reading as a necessary evil (I’m sure my kids would be surprised by this, since I do so much of it); it takes more time and I don’t think it’s healthy to spend a lot of time in front of the computer.  And while the kids wouldn’t have the physical strain on their shoulders from lugging around a heavy knapsack, they’d have eye strain to consider.

    In our homeschooling, I try to avoid textbooks as much as possible.  Textbooks are designed to be politically correct above all else (and as such are a venue to promote values that I don’t share), and just as bad, their accuracy of the facts is often questionable (this isn’t a matter of opinion – do some research if you want to learn more).  

    Some companies have tried to eliminate the political aspect by choosing selections that are more neutral.  When my ds was in ninth grade last year, I had the opportunity to review his English textbook – it was a kosher version of regular literature texts (Mesorah publishes them under another company name).  They use selections of classic works and stories that don’t have the less desirable elements of typical literature selections.  I thought it was a nice idea, and then I read through a good part of the textbook.  Gosh, it was dull – and I have a high comprehension level and love to read!  It didn’t suprise me when my son fell asleep repeatedly when reading the stories that were assigned.  In their efforts to take out anything objectionable, they weren’t left with much of interest.  I commented on this to the English teacher at parent conferences, and it was clear that though she didn’t want to say so outright, she agreed with me. 

    In place of textbooks, I prefer what Charlotte Mason termed living books – books that are engaging, written by people who care about their subject matter – not committees.  And of course, hands on learning opportunities can’t be beat for integration and assimilation of material. 

    As far as CA and the choice they’ve made, while they won’t improve students’ learning, at least they’ll be saving money! 

    Avivah

  • Natural weed killer

    I’ve gotten weary of pulling the same weeds, over and over – it’s the morning glory vines that climb my fence that I’m just fed up with.  No matter how many I pull out, it seems like they reproduce overnight and I have this sense that I’m never going to eradicate them just by pulling them.

    So today I decided on a new strategy – to use weed killer!  I don’t use any kind of chemicals in my yard, but figured there had to be a natural solution, and found this suggested on a gardening forum:

    Natural Weed Killer

    • 1 gallon white vinegar
    • 1 lb. table salt
    • 1/2 t. dish soap

    Heat the vinegar and dissolve the salt.  Add 1/2 t. dishsoap (the soap is to help the solution adhere to the plants).  Put it all in a spray bottle, and spray the plants you want to get rid of.  Be very careful not to get any of it on plants you want to keep!

    This is very affordable – about $2 total, and makes over a gallon of weed killer.  I can’t yet say how this has worked for us long term, but many gardeners said it was very effective.  Ds sprayed a lot of our weeds along the fence, and the poison ivy wilted immediately.  I’m looking forward to seeing all the weeds disappear!

    Avivah

  • Taking kids on errands with you

    Our lawn mower broke a week or so before I had the baby, and though I’ve very much wanted to get one, it wasn’t at the very top of the list of priorities for the first two weeks postpartum.  But finally yesterday I went to buy one from someone on CL (I decided on one with a bagger so that I can easily catch the grass clippings for my garden as fertilizer).

    When I do errands, I usually ask a specific child or two if they want to go with me, and yesterday I invited one child to come along. But as so often happens, three others chimed in asking if they could come, too (the two little ones would have come, too, but they were due for a nap).  I was thinking about how grateful I am that my kids like spending time with me, even if it means a long, boring drive in a hot van.  And I enjoy spending time with them as well.

    So many times people ask about how I get anything done if my kids are around all day long.  Part of this question is how you get things done around the house, and that’s a topic for a different post.  The second part is how you get things done that require you to be out and about.  There seems to be an idea that errands done with your kids along must mean stress and aggravation for the parent and children.  While it’s definitely true that whatever you need to do will probably take longer when your kids are with you, there’s no reason that the time out should be unpleasant for you or your kids.  

    Taking your kids with you to various places is the ideal way to teach them how to behave when in a store, a doctor’s office, when visiting the elderly.  They don’t learn about it from sitting at home and hearing you theorize about how to act in public.  Kids don’t instinctively know how to behave in different situations – it’s our active guidance and training that make the difference.  Grocery shopping can be fun for kids!  And if you’ve taught them to act nicely – no running, no yelling and whining, no grabbing things, no asking you repeatedly to buy them every treat they see – it should be enjoyable for you, too! (And a nice side benefit is that they can learn alot about math, pricing, sales, nutritional value of different foods, and anything else you want to integrate into your outings.)

    For years I took all six of my kids with me everywhere I went (my oldest turned 13 shortly after ds3 was born, the legal age to leave him with younger children, and at that point I was finally able to run out to the supermarket without taking everyone).  My husband didn’t have a schedule that allowed him to be available to be home with the kids so I could go out.  But I didn’t see going out with my kids as a burden, and I didn’t view taking them to the dentist with too differently than taking them to the zoo.  They were all opportunities for an experience of it’s own and time together as a family.  Well behaved children are a pleasure to spend time with, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback over the years when out in public. 

    Practically speaking, it helps to have something enjoyable to listen to in the car on your way to and from your destination – parsha cassettes, Jewish story cassettes, and audio books have been what we’ve enjoyed during our many drives.  It helps the time fly by, and sometimes someone will want to come somewhere with me just because they want to hear more of a certain story (this was the motivation of dd12 in coming along yesterday). 

    Always take along food and water, and I’ve found it’s best to take more than you think you’ll need.  Hungry or thirsty children are naturally going to be cranky, and errands often take longer than you expect, particularly when you’re not prepared!  I like to take along an extra outfit for the youngest kids, because it keeps me from being cranky when someone spills something all over themselves or someone falls in the mud. 

    It’s also helpful to take along a roll of toilet paper or a towel in case of a mess, and a couple of empty plastic bags to keep the garbage contained when in the car. I had one child who always got carsick and would throw up every time we went anywhere – I quickly learned to take a plastic basin lined with a plastic bag, along with some extra bags and an extra set of clothes for him (the first time it happened I was out all day and had to stop at a thrift store to buy him new clothes).  Once I started doing this, it significantly reduced the frustration of the situation.  I also at one time had a container of candied ginger (good for reducing nausea), but when it was finished, I didn’t buy more (now that it’s the summer, I’ll get some more, since car sickness seems to be more of an issue in hot weather).  You can also take along fresh ginger – dd12 is going on a several hour long drive later today and will take a piece along in case she needs it. 

    Also, keep in mind your child’s sleeping and eating schedule.  If your toddler regularly naps after lunch, don’t think you can take him out without unpleasant consequences later on.  Do your outings early in the day or after his nap, when he’s well rested – it will be a lot more pleasant for everyone.  Try to time things so that you’re home for your regular mealtimes, unless you want to have a picnic in lieu of a regular meal. 

    If you know you’ll be sitting around waiting for a while (like a doctor’s office), take a book you can read to them or a game for them to play with.  I had some useful manipulatives and learning tools that came in handy at these times.  It’s a shame to waste opportunities like these. When the kids are older, have them bring something they’ll enjoy; it’s good for them to take responsibility for their own entertainment.  Word find and crossword puzzle books are useful for times like this.  Being prepared for various eventualities makes a big difference.

    Avivah

  • Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf

    Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf

    Soak 2 c. of water and 1 c. dried lentils overnight.  In the morning, drain off the liquid, and boil 2 c. water for each cup of soaked lentils in a saucepan.  Simmer covered for 25 – 30 min, or until soft.  Drain and partially mash lentils.  Cool slightly. Stir in:

    • 1 small onion, diced
    • 1 c. quick oats
    • 3/4 c. grated cheese or bbq sauce

    Add remaining ingredients:

    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 4 1/2 oz tomato sauce
    • 1 t. garlic powder
    • 1 t. basil
    • 1 t. parsley
    • 1 1/2 t. seasoning salt or to taste (can use regular salt)
    • 1/4 t. pepper

    Mix well, and put in a greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes until the top of the loaf is dry, firm, and golden brown.  Cool ten minutes before slicing.

    Avivah

  • Carpet for the garden

    I mentioned that I got some used carpeting a few weeks ago for the garden, right?   But I didn’t have enough for what I wanted it for.  So I put a ‘wanted’ ad on Craig’s List, and someone emailed me to say they had some carpet they had just pulled up that I was welcome to.

    Yesterday I went with ds10 and dd12 to pick it up.  The couple I got it from was curious what I would do with it, and when I told them it was for my garden, we got to discussing gardening.  (They want me to email them when I make jam and sell them some – I don’t think that I’ll do that, though.)  And then they offered to give us a tour of their garden, something they said they never did before except for friends.  They had a beautiful bamboo garden and it was really lovely.  There were six kinds of bamboo (it never occurred to me that there was even more than one kind of bamboo) with lots of other plants – he told us about each one as we walked through (call that science for the afternoon).   (And on the way home, we listened to an audio recording of Sign of the Beaver – history for the day.)

    I found it especially interesting since he had a yard that was almost entirely grass free, something I’ve been wondering how to do.  It was very tastefully designed – they did all the work themselves on it – and it was amazing to me how they created a feeling of expansiveness and privacy on such a small lot.  However, nothing was edible, and my goal in planting is to use my ground space for growing food.  It’s more challenging to landscape with edibles.  I’m not giving up, though – I have to be patient and accept that a beautiful garden takes time, particularly when done the frugal way.  For now, I have to be satisfied with having a productive garden, because honestly it’s not very beautiful (and with the mower recently having broken, my grass is quickly getting shaggy – it isn’t adding anything charming to the look of things).  

    What did I want the carpet for?  Two things.  The first was to use to create paths between the lasagna beds; particularly with little children, I wanted to clearly define the space where they should walk so they don’t trample the plants. But more than that, I don’t have the desire to constantly be weeding the pathways – it’s bad enough to have to weed the actual garden beds.  This eliminated the expense of mulching the paths.  The second thing I wanted them for was to use as a mulch layer for some of my plants, cutting out a hole where the plant could grow from.  But my kids dissuaded me from doing this with our raspberry and blackberry bushes, saying that it would keep the shoots from being able to spread.  I had to agree with their logic, so the carpet is now just on the paths. 

    A couple of the kids used a razor blade kind of knife to cut the carpet into the size strips I needed, but the blade disappeared before they could cut the final piece.  When I went inside I discovered what happened to it.  Ds3 apparently found it, figured out how to unlock it, and slashed the kitchen screen while we were busy with the yard work.  Sigh.  This is part of why there’s always something to fix around here.  🙂 

    Avivah

  • Weekly menu plan

    It’s been so nice to have received food from friends for dinner in the last couple of weeks, which is why you haven’t been seeing my regular post on my weekly menu plan.   It’s such a nice thing to send people food after birth – I felt so nurtured, and so did my children.  I appreciated not having to cook three meals a day, and the kids enjoyed getting different food than we usually have – just having someone else bring something made it seem more special to them.  (After receiving variations of pasta and cheese dishes almost every night, they concluded that it must be what people make for big families.  They weren’t complaining, though – they enjoyed it.)

    But eventually it’s back to regular life, so here is this week’s plan 🙂 :

    Sunday – brunch – bread pudding (great way to use up leftover challah so it doesn’t sit around all week :)); dinner – turkey, rice, salad

    Monday – b – pumpkin muffins; l – omelettes, salad; d – deli roll, baked sweet potatoes, steamed zucchini

    Tuesday – b – hashbrowns, eggs; l -split pea soup and cornbread scones ; d – best vegetarian meatloaf

    Wednesday – b – baked oatmeal; l – vegetarian meatloaf ; d – chili, crudites, dip

    Thursday – b – polenta; l – Mexican lasagna; d- CORN (clean out refrigerator night)

    I’m doubling up on the amounts I’m making for dinner this week in the middle of the week so I can serve planned leftovers for lunch the next day and keep things simple.  Dh went vegetable shopping this morning, so we’re now stocked up and have plenty of fruits to supplement breakfast and lots of nice veggies for fresh salads.  Everyone especially appreciates salad in the summer.  He also got a lot of ripe bananas because since discovering how easy it is to make banana ‘ice cream’, it’s become a staple around here.  I’ve been enjoying mine with spirulina mixed in, but the kids have no interest – they think the green color it takes on after mixing in the spirulina looks disgusting.

    Avivah

  • Free bikes!

    My kids received new bikes today from their fairy godmother :), and we’re giving away their old bikes.  All of them work fine, though a couple have flat tires.  If you live around here and are interested, let me know – I’d love to know some of my blog readers are enjoying them.  Here’s what we have:

    • 1 – 16″ lavender bike – taken
    • 1 – 16 ” red/blue bike – taken
    • 1 – 20″ red bike – taken
    • 1 – 20″ pink/purple bike (has flat tire) – taken
    • 1 – 20″ blue bike (has flat tire) – taken

    Feel free to call or email me privately if you have my contact info, or post below if you don’t.  I’d like to give them away within the next 24 hours (ie, by Monday evening), and will be home pretty much all day if you want to come by and pick up any/all of them.

    Avivah

  • Today’s plant exchange

    A neighbor mentioned to me that our neighborhood association was once again hosting a plant exchange (last year was the first one), so I headed over today.  Last year was really nice – 5 free plants per family (4 annuals, 1 perennial), with free window boxes and potting soil.  When I went today, I expected it to be a similar set up, but I found out once I was there that they had changed the way it ran. 

    First of all, there were no free plants, because funding was significantly lower this year.  You could only get plants by paying with a ticket.  How did you get tickets?  They couldn’t tell me in a straightforward way, but after paying $10 for dues to the neighborhood association, they told me I was entitled to 2 tickets as a member of the association (wouldn’t tell me before that).  I later found out that for every plant you brought to exchange, you could get a ticket, too.

    I decided I would use my tickets to get perennials, since I’d rather have plants that will continue to come back year after year, than to get ones which will need to be replanted.  There were several to choose from, but as soon as they told me one of the choices was purple coneflower, I told them I’d like two of them.  I don’t know what made them ask – maybe because I answered them so quickly – but they asked what made me choose that.  I told them that it was a medicinal plant, echinacea.  But then one of the women told me I wasn’t able to use my tickets for any perennials because I wasn’t a member of the association. When I told them that I was, they agreed that I could have one plant, but only one.

    So I went over to see if they had any vegetable or herb plants.  There was one tiny pepper plant and one chamomile start that someone had brought, and when I asked the woman in charge if each of those were a ticket, she said yes, but then reconsidered and told me to take one for free, that they were going to have plants left over and the plants were so tiny she didn’t want to ‘charge’ me for it.  I took the pepper plant – none of the pepper seeds I started were successful. 

    Then I got a beautiful purple coleus plant with my remaining ticket.  When I got home, I seperated the echinacea plant into seven individual rootings, and planted each one individually.  I did this with the hope that they’ll spread.  Echinacea is a wonderful herb that is a powerful germ fighter, and I’ll be glad to be able to harvest my own instead of ordering it.  It’s nice to have a flower that looks nice and is so useful, too.  This joins sage, fennel, and red raspberry as medicinal herbs that I’m now growing and will be able to harvest. 

    Especially in increasingly difficult economic times, with so many people becoming interested in gardening (for food), I think it’s a shame that they didn’t have vegetable plants or herbs available.  It’s almost as people in charge only wanted decorative plants that have no other purpose.  They did have day lilies available, which have edible bulbs, but I don’t think most people know that, and I don’t really care for how they look.  And anyway, someone there told me that if I want some, I’m welcome to come to her house and dig them up for free. 

    There were also two free trees available from the city, willow and (I think) hawthorne.  I asked why those two trees were selected – in my opinion, fruit trees would be more useful – they told me because they are hardy.  I don’t have a large yard and wasn’t interested in filling up valuable space with trees that didn’t have much of a purpose, so I passed on those.

    When I got home, I asked the girls to dig up some tomato starts from our garden and take them to the exchange.  Two women volunteering told me that lots of people had been asking about vegetable plants and specifically wanted tomatoes, but no one had brought any.  When I mentioned that I had plenty, they asked me to bring some.  The girls went for me and took ten tomato plants to the exchange, but an unhelpful woman in charge gave them a hard time, acting as if they were trying to deceive her in some way.  (Another volunteer tried to explain to her that they were just bringing plants to exchange, but wasn’t successful.)  She would only give them 5 tickets for the ten plants, instead of ten.  After they told her they thought they were supposed to get a ticket for each plant, she begrudgingly gave them another two tickets, and the girls were left with the unpleasant feeling that she was trying to cheat them because they weren’t adults.  I told them she was probably operating from a mindset of expecting people to be dishonest and try to get more than they were entitled to, and therefore was being protective of the exchange, not that she had anything against them specifically. 

    They brought home another coleus, two marigolds, and four begonias.  I don’t especially like begonias, but one of the girls did, so it’s fine with me.  We did some planting earlier before leaving to the exchange, and put in a row of marigold seeds in front of the tomato plants, since they are a bug repellent.  I’ll put the new marigold plants next to some other garden plants that will benefit from them.  The begonias went into the window box, and I have to figure out where to plant the coleus – I love how coleus look! 

    We also planted seeds for eggplant, cucumber, yellow summer squash, and green beans (bush).  I wanted to get some acorn and pattypan squash seeds in (we already put in butternut), but we didn’t have enough time.  Maybe later tonight when it’s cooler we can plant them.  We noticed some plants started growing in the compost pile (not the tumbler, which heats everything so that seeds are killed), so we transferred them to the garden – it looks like they are watermelon.  I’m really astounded by how many, many tomato plants I have that seeded themselves, either from the compost pile or from last year’s plants.  I’d guess that I have at least 50, probably more.  We’ll see if it’s possible for us to grow more tomatoes than we can eat! 

    The rest of the garden is so far BH looking good – we picked the first three strawberries this morning, the snap pea plants are zooming up, the beets are coming up nicely, and we should be able to harvest some lettuce very soon.  The weather we’ve been having has been great for the garden, I think – lots of rain and thunderstorms in the evenings, with warm and dry days.  I haven’t had to worry much about doing watering!

    It’s really gratifying to watch the plants coming up.  I’ve said it before, but there’s something about planting things yourself that warms your heart and is so satisfying.  I don’t know if whatever the garden will yield will justify the time involved (not much expense this year), but gardening is a valuable skill to learn and I find the time outside working in the yard relaxing. 

    Avivah

  • Grain mill recommendations, questions about grinding wheat

    A few years ago, I began buying wheat berries and grinding our family’s flour.  That sounds a lot more impressive than it actually is, because my electric grinder does all the work, but I get the sense that people picture me slaving away when they hear we grind our own flour – it’s synonymous with being a nutritional nut or a martyr mom. 🙂

    >>I am thinking of grinding my own grains soon and was wondering what type of mill you use and where do you buy your grains?<<

    I use the Nutrimill, which I’ve been very happy with.  It has a lifetime warranty and the company will replace or fix whatever is necessary if it breaks due to a fault in the machine, which is a big plus.  They don’t guarantee breakage caused by you putting something in the machine that shouldn’t be there, so when a penny was in the bag of bulk wheat that I bought and it was unwittingly poured into the grinder along with the wheat, the motor burnt out and I had to pay for repairs.  But even then the repair costs were reasonable and they paid the return shipping costs to me, which I didn’t expect and thought was very nice.  It was $249 when I bought it, including shipping, but I think the price is a little higher now.

    Earlier this year I bought a Family Mill, which is a manual mill, because I didn’t like having to buy flour when my electric mill was inaccessible (when it was being repaired).  If I were buying a mill right now, I would buy one mill that had manual and electric capacity – the Country Mill is the one I would probably get, because it’s made to last forever, a quality I like in the things I buy since everything in our home gets used hard.  But that’s $400, and I didn’t want to spend that after already spending $250 on the Nutrimill.  In the end, I spent close to that for the two mills, though.

    I buy my grains in bulk, but my sources have changed over the years.  I started with my  local health food store, where I got a 10% discount by buying a large quantity.  I didn’t think that was a good enough discount for the amount I was getting.  So I started looking into buying directly from the wholesaler, which is what I went on to do.  Now I buy through a couple of supermarkets that buy from the wholesaler I was using; they buy at the store rate from the wholesaler and mark it up a bit for me, but it ends up being comparable to the higher private customer rate that the wholesaler gave me.   This works out well for me because it’s local to where I do my monthly shopping and the wholesaler was in an entirely different direction.  I get the impression I’m the only one who has ever asked the management of this store to do this, and obviously not every store will be willing to do it (I asked recently at Whole Foods and while they were willing to buy in large amounts for me, the discount they offered was negligible).  But it doesn’t hurt to ask.  I think the manager of the bulk department appreciates my business since the store makes a profit without much extra work for her.

    >>Offhand, have you calculated the cost of grinding your own flour versus buying flour?? I was just wondering if you’d already figured it out… Saves me from doing all the math if someone else already did. :)<<

    Actually, it’s not cost per pound, though that’s the easiest way to figure it.  The reason is that flour has air in it, so when you grind a cup of wheat berries, you get more than a cup of flour.  I think you get 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups of flour, but it’s been three years since I researched this.  Also, the flour quality is much higher than even the most expensive whole wheat flour you can buy, since the oil in the wheat hasn’t gone rancid.  So you’d have to compare it to King Arthur white whole wheat flour, but the quality of your home ground flour would still be much better.

    If you like to use specialty flours that are gluten free, it’s very, very worthwhile to get your own mill.  Those flours are all very pricey and the grains themselves are not nearly as expensive.  I don’t know how much of a case can be made for the money saving aspect of grinding your own wheat.  It will depend a lot on the price you pay for whole wheat flour or wheat berries.  The price I’d pay for 50 lb of berries or flour is the same (comparing regular whole wheat flour), so I’d save 25 – 50% by grinding my own.   But some people would feel the extra step involved in grinding the wheat and the cost of the grinder wouldn’t be justified by that savings.  It would take a lot of wheat berries ground to equal $250 saved!

    I bought a mill for the health aspect, since the whole wheat flour in the stores has already lost the majority of it’s nutrients by the time you get it.  Freshly ground flour definitely tastes better, too!  Another benefit that I hadn’t considered when I started doing this is that I can store large amounts of wheat berries without worrying about them losing their nutritional value over time, unlike flour, which has a definite shelf life.

    I’m very glad I got the grinder, and have never regretted the purchase.  If anything, I appreciate it more and more over time.

    Avivah