Comments on: Touting Sprouting http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/2009/09/touting-sprouting/ 2 Bigs + 4 Littles under 1 Midsize Roof = Life As We Know It Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:26:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Millie http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/2009/09/touting-sprouting/comment-page-1/#comment-117 Millie Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:05:20 +0000 http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/?p=221#comment-117 Excellent post and comments. I look forward to hearing the results of your side by side comparison. Excellent post and comments. I look forward to hearing the results of your side by side comparison.

]]> By: Sonya Hemmings http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/2009/09/touting-sprouting/comment-page-1/#comment-116 Sonya Hemmings Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:10:48 +0000 http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/?p=221#comment-116 Hi, Shelley! I'll have to read your post today! Funny that we're on the same topic! I do like Sprouted Baking very much, and I'm excited to try some of the recipes with both my own flour and hers, if I can save up enough in the food budget to give it a try! :-) —Sonya Hi, Shelley! I’ll have to read your post today! Funny that we’re on the same topic! I do like Sprouted Baking very much, and I’m excited to try some of the recipes with both my own flour and hers, if I can save up enough in the food budget to give it a try! :-)
—Sonya

]]> By: Sonya Hemmings http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/2009/09/touting-sprouting/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Sonya Hemmings Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:09:04 +0000 http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/?p=221#comment-115 Wardeh, I knew I could count on you and your experience to supply some wisdom here! I so want to be able to sprout/dehydrate/grind my own flour and home, and I don't love to be told that it isn't possible. I think you and I are likely made of the same stuff in that regard! :-) I also don't want all of the work it takes to produce my own flour to be for nothing if the nutritional level isn't superior in some way. If I have the opportunity, I think I will do some comparison baking with her flour and mine. And I do think it is wonderful that there is a product out there for people who want the nutritional benefits but who aren't inclined to sprout the grain themselves. As Quinn said when I interviewed her, if you told most people that they'd have to sprout their own grain, it would send them right over the edge. She's right: They'd never do it. As for foreign matter, Quinn wasn't specific. She simply mentioned observing "the stuff" that is sifted out of the flour at her mill and her concern that the home sprouter would not likely see it or be able to remove it. I should follow up with her and ask for further details here. —Sonya Wardeh, I knew I could count on you and your experience to supply some wisdom here! I so want to be able to sprout/dehydrate/grind my own flour and home, and I don’t love to be told that it isn’t possible. I think you and I are likely made of the same stuff in that regard! :-) I also don’t want all of the work it takes to produce my own flour to be for nothing if the nutritional level isn’t superior in some way. If I have the opportunity, I think I will do some comparison baking with her flour and mine. And I do think it is wonderful that there is a product out there for people who want the nutritional benefits but who aren’t inclined to sprout the grain themselves. As Quinn said when I interviewed her, if you told most people that they’d have to sprout their own grain, it would send them right over the edge. She’s right: They’d never do it. As for foreign matter, Quinn wasn’t specific. She simply mentioned observing “the stuff” that is sifted out of the flour at her mill and her concern that the home sprouter would not likely see it or be able to remove it. I should follow up with her and ask for further details here.
—Sonya

]]> By: Shelley http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/2009/09/touting-sprouting/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Shelley Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:00:01 +0000 http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/?p=221#comment-114 How timely- my post today is on my first experiment with making sprouted flour! I can't wait to read this book- it is difficult to find recipes using sprouted flour. I think I'll continue doing my flour myself- first of all it's exciting (yes, I'm easy to excite!) and there is no way the professional-made is in our budget. great info, though, and very neutral stance. How timely- my post today is on my first experiment with making sprouted flour! I can’t wait to read this book- it is difficult to find recipes using sprouted flour. I think I’ll continue doing my flour myself- first of all it’s exciting (yes, I’m easy to excite!) and there is no way the professional-made is in our budget. great info, though, and very neutral stance.

]]> By: Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/2009/09/touting-sprouting/comment-page-1/#comment-113 Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:22:26 +0000 http://hemmingshalfdozen.com/?p=221#comment-113 Sonya, while I have read and appreciate Janie Quinn's logic (and her fabulous book!), I can't say I agree. I believe we should be able to sprout, dehydrate and grind quality sprouted flours in our home. If we *must* rely on a special mill to do it, then I'm not sure we should be doing it at all. That's different from saying we shouldn't buy from her mill - certainly we would want to support and buy from Essential Eating if finances allow and equipment is lacking. I sprout my own grains, dehydrate them, and then grind them in a Vita-mix dry container. Someone might say, "Yeah, but you grind your flour in a Vita-mix and have a dehydrator, which is special equipment" to which I'd reply that the action of grinding can be done between two stones and the drying can be done in the sun . So I use special equipment, but I could do it other natural and free ways. Janie Quinn's argument suggests that there is no affordable home equipment to produce sprouted flours, and I really don't like that. If sprouting flours is sooo good and so traditional (pre-industrial) then I think it is extremely likely that we can get good results at home. As for my results, I have not compared my flours with Essential Eating flours - but I never have a sour or fermented smell. The baked goods are delicious. And I believe I get a definite sprout, not a swollen endosperm. But like you, I can't test this. I'm sure the possibility exists that we could produce sprouted flour that is not truly sprouted flour, but I don't agree that it is always this way if done at home. I wonder... how does Shiloh Farms prevent foreign matter from getting into the flour? And what foreign matter concerns Janie Quinn? I really enjoy the Sprouted Baking book, too. Everything I have tried turns out delicious. It's great that you've interviewed Janie Quinn and thanks for sharing about it here - I look forward to hearing about "gluten-free" land! Sonya, while I have read and appreciate Janie Quinn’s logic (and her fabulous book!), I can’t say I agree. I believe we should be able to sprout, dehydrate and grind quality sprouted flours in our home. If we *must* rely on a special mill to do it, then I’m not sure we should be doing it at all. That’s different from saying we shouldn’t buy from her mill – certainly we would want to support and buy from Essential Eating if finances allow and equipment is lacking.

I sprout my own grains, dehydrate them, and then grind them in a Vita-mix dry container. Someone might say, “Yeah, but you grind your flour in a Vita-mix and have a dehydrator, which is special equipment” to which I’d reply that the action of grinding can be done between two stones and the drying can be done in the sun . So I use special equipment, but I could do it other natural and free ways.

Janie Quinn’s argument suggests that there is no affordable home equipment to produce sprouted flours, and I really don’t like that. If sprouting flours is sooo good and so traditional (pre-industrial) then I think it is extremely likely that we can get good results at home.

As for my results, I have not compared my flours with Essential Eating flours – but I never have a sour or fermented smell. The baked goods are delicious. And I believe I get a definite sprout, not a swollen endosperm. But like you, I can’t test this.

I’m sure the possibility exists that we could produce sprouted flour that is not truly sprouted flour, but I don’t agree that it is always this way if done at home. I wonder… how does Shiloh Farms prevent foreign matter from getting into the flour? And what foreign matter concerns Janie Quinn?

I really enjoy the Sprouted Baking book, too. Everything I have tried turns out delicious. It’s great that you’ve interviewed Janie Quinn and thanks for sharing about it here – I look forward to hearing about “gluten-free” land!

]]>