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March 26, 2021by melissa

Spring has spring! We could not be happier that Spring has arrived!

With every purchase of $40 or more we will be adding a free metal yellow daffodil to your order! (1 flower per order while supplies last) Perfect for dressing up a flower pot, window box, or stick it right in the ground with your blooming flowers!

The yellow daffodil is also a symbol of hope, strength and courage for those affected by cancer.

We hope this little gift will brighten up your home and garden!

Shop now! 


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March 26, 2021by melissa

This month we celebrate Women in agriculture! Women have always played a crucial role in farming and with more machinery used on the farm, physical strength does not define a great farmer.  Women made a lot of progress in the 1940’s, taking over a large share of the farm work when many men went to war. Upon the return of soldiers after the war, there was a reversal to the “old” gender roles in farming until the 1980’s when women began to reclaim their position on the farm. Normally I try to write about general farm practices but today I will break it down and use my own experience as a woman in agriculture and the experience of my female friends and neighbours – all of us whom are 30-40 years old.

I don’t know if I grew up sheltered or completely unsheltered, but If there was work on the farm to be done everyone had to help. It didn’t matter if you were a son or a daughter.  Driving tractors, doing field work, helping with the animals or chopping fire wood. There were no gender roles when it came to work on our farm. I really had no idea gender roles were “a thing” on the farm until I reached University. I watched my Grandma work in the barn lifting 50 pound hay bales while my Grandpa loaded the hay elevator below. That Grandma continues to do field work and work in the barn, she is 84 years old! Impressive lady, but certainly not alone in her work ethic. Women like her were a role model to many of today’s generation of women in agriculture. Many of my friends have grown up the same way and taking over the family farm operations and doing a fantastic job I might add.

It is great to say that 29% of all farms are owned and operated by women. Jumping 12% in 10 years (from 2006 to 2016)! We have to thank the generation before us that began to really break down those gender roles. Today people tend to dwell on the negatives, what we don’t have, I like to look at what has been achieved and what is on the horizon ahead of us for the great Women in Agriculture!


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March 2, 2021by melissa

A Basic and Simple Sourdough Tin Loaf Featuring 1847 Daily Bread Flour

 

About Matthew:

Hi I’m Matt, a trained chef, baker and sourdough enthusiast with over 15 years of industry experience. I’m here to share tips, tricks and some of my favourite recipes to help you become a better cook and baker in your home kitchen!

Simple Sourdough:

A simple and easy to make sourdough tin loaf. While I often bake batard style loaves we really enjoy having a tin loaf at home for weekdays. Quickly toasted for breakfast or made into a hearty sandwich for lunch, this sourdough bread is a wonderful household staple.

For this sourdough tin loaf I am using 1847 Daily Bread flour.

  • 100% organic stone milled 1847 daily bread flour
  • 13.5% protein

Get the full recipe!

bread flour - daily bread

flour colour


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February 18, 2021by melissa
A favourite pastime in the country is to go snowmobiling. This year has been an exceptional season for southern Ontario trails. Trails are run in Ontario predominantly by OFSC .  They depend on local farmers and rural land owners to volunteer strips of land for the trails to run.  The snowmobiles do cause compaction and other setbacks in the fields but that is something farmers are willing to deal with in the spring so people can get out on the trails and enjoy parts of rural Ontario.

Amazingly through the support of farmers in Ontario there is a trail network that spans more than 30,000km. For respect to the land owners, the trails are clearly marked and riders are asked to stay on the marked trails. Some fields have crops that are more sensitive to snowmobile traffic such as winter wheat. These varieties of wheat are planted in the fall and the young seedling lays dormant over the winter.  Traffic on this crop can cause it to die off. So sticking to the posted trails is very important.

We hope to see you on the trails but remember to practice your snowcial distancing.

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January 25, 2021by melissa

Valentine’s Day Special – With each bouquet purchased we are pleased to offer a limited quantity of powder coated garden bird on wheat made by a local artisan. ($35 value)

Spoil your loved one with a bouquet of fresh flours – An assortment of 6 different flours. Daily Grind, Run of the Mill Whole Wheat, Daily Bread, Have Your Cake and Pastry Too, Rye Humour and Red fife!

Choose from two sizes! Click here!


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January 25, 2021by melissa

In this month’s update, we have finally brought in our last field of corn. Better late then never! The corn, or any grain, is harvested from the field and travels by gravity wagons or tractor trailers from the field to the grain elevator. There are several different elevators dotted across the country side. Many of them are still family owned and operated. Like the farmers they serve they often work very long hours during harvest seasons.

When the grain arrives to the grain elevator, samples are taken while unloading.  All grain is graded by quality. Better grain earns higher prices. The elevators look for how “clean” the grain is. They are looking to see how plump the grains are, the protein of the grain, the moisture content in the grains and most importantly to see if the grains have biological contaminants ( Fusarium or DON ).  All of these are analyzed and the load is given a grade… just like at school.


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December 16, 2020by melissa

Grain Storage! 

Some things you may not have ever noticed. When you are driving through the country you will see different types of storage for the various Canadian grown crops. 

Silos are typically used for high moisture grains and silage type material (not used for dry grains like the ones for milling flour). They are falling out of favour to pack systems which are basically bunkers that are covered with plastic once the material is “packed in” using tractors.  The material ferments in anaerobic conditions and makes it easy for farm animals to digest. 

Corrugated bins are the metal ribbed bins normally large diameter and silver coloured (galvanized). They are the most economical of grain bins and are seen predominantly in the countryside. They hold dry material like our grains!  The bins are fabricated using fasteners and are not completely air tight. Since fasteners are used to build them onsite they can be almost any size! These tend to be the large grain bins found at elevators (the grain distribution hub)

Smooth walled bins are the bins we use at 1847 Stone Milling. These bins are welded and completely airtight preventing moisture, air or little critters from finding their way into the grain. They are more expensive than the corrugated bins because of the welding. However, the completely sealed nature of the bins make the expense worth the investment. Since they are a welded bin their diameter is limited to smaller volumes which can be trucked down the road (12 foot diameter normally the limit).

 

On a festive note.

We took the family on a drive to see the Rockwood Parade of Lights – a tractor Christmas parade! Check out this grain wagon being filled with Christmas cheer! We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!


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November 28, 2020by melissa

Farm Update – November 2020

This is the time of year farmers have put manure or compost on the fields. Getting this organic material on the fields and integrated into the soil allows for microbes to break down the nutrients and deposit them in the soil where our beautiful crops need them! By spreading in the fall it reduces the soil compaction as opposed to spreading in the early spring. There is a fine balance of spreading valuable nutrients at the best time and damage to the land/topsoil.

Another aspect farmers have to take into account is the future weather. If you spread right before a large rainstorm event or a large snow melt the nutrients can run off the field. Not only are the nutrients lost from the field but they also could get into the streams and waterways. No farmer ever wants to see this happen!

Farmers are always considering their tank storage conditions and prefer to have empty manure storage tanks going into the winter to accept new material during winter months. This is not only good practice, but advised by agronomists. For example, any new barn that houses animals needs to have a Nutrient Management Strategy approved by the Provincial Ministry of Food and Agriculture and on average 240 days of manure storage. The 240 days allows for storage of manure during long, cold snow-covered conditions when field application is impossible.


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November 13, 2020by melissa

From the Farm

Let’s see what our farmers are up to!

The harvest is in for 2020! Well, currently 98% is harvested, left in the field may be corn and soy. It’s been a great year for most crops including cereals. The warm weather combined with the perfect amount of rain spread apart made for excellent growing conditions. This year’s average rainfall was 360mm*, 18mm lower than last year.  These conditions produced an average hard red falling number of 419 seconds and an average protein of 14.1% for the province! The falling number is a measure of the enzymatic activity in the grain with any value over 350 seconds indicating exceptional flour quality. These are conventional grain numbers but organic grains will produce fairly similar results.
*Source


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June 8, 2020by melissa

Our Owner, Melissa, featured in a Food Focus Podcast!

Flour Power – Life as a Micro Miller

“Flour has never been cooler. Temporary shortages coupled with a surge in baking as people are staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought flour into the mainstream. In this episode, Mike talks to Melissa McKeown who runs 1847 Stone Milling, a micro miller in southwestern Ontario. They talk about starting and running a small farm-based food business, competing against the giants, and some of the challenges such as rural internet access. They also talk about different kinds of flour and what makes a good flour.”

Listen here >>


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