Further Down the Rabbit Hole

First of all: wow.

It's been three weeks since my last post. Let me bring you up to speed.

THE GARDEN
Strawberries: The strawberries are beginning to grow, though in some beds more quickly than others (the ones in the doghouse container are doing the best so far).
Raspberries: The raspberry bush is busting out in leaves, and about ten new canes started shooting up through the mulch beside the main bush. Apparently the bush sent out some underground runners that are doing well. I may need to add more support structures for the new growth, because it's not in a convenient place to use the trellis I already installed.
Blueberries: Still just green and brown sticks jutting from the ground. Not a single leaf yet. I'm hoping they start settling in soon.
Lettuce: The lettuce appears to be holding, but I am not wowed by its growth. I frankly doesn't seem to have grown much since I transplanted it, but neither has it wilted or anything. I planted about three rows of seeds yesterday, in hopes that I will have a staggered/progressive harvest. There are about three varieties in the lettuce seed mix I bought; next year I'll probably buy single, specific varieties so I have a little more control.
Onions: My transplants have officially become a write-off. They didn't like the transplant process, partly (I think) because their root system was never very developed. I planted about a row-and-a-half yesterday, but then ran out of seeds and can't seem to find my other packet. Have to get some more.
Carrots: Not a single seedling has emerged yet. I know carrots have a notoriously long germination period, but I'm getting worried.
Cantaloupe: My indoor seedlings are growing nicely, and I hope to transplant them in a couple of weeks.
Corn: Still a bit early for corn, though it's time to start preparing the bed in earnest. Will plant in a couple of weeks.
Tomato: The tomato plants have shipped. I hope they're more developed plants than the blueberries. We'll see...
Basil/Cilantro/Oregano: We moved the herbs outside. Wow, they seem to be growing slowly...

DEEPER AND DEEPER
Now we come to the reason for this post's title. With my birthday money (thanks to parents and parents-in-law) I bought a grain mill for grinding my own wheat! I didn't go for the $400 electric model, but rather a simple $70 version. I'm not a professional bakery, after all. The main reason I want to do this additional work for our bread is nutrition. Wheat in it's normal state includes the bran, germ, and endosperm. However, because of the oils in the bran and germ, flour that includes them will go rancid in about 3 days. So, commercial mills remove those two parts and deliver flour made exclusively of the endosperm, often bleached and further processed. The problem is that about 30 nutrients are contained in the bran and germ, and all these are lost in the milling process. Mills try to rectify this by artificially adding about six nutrients back. this is called "enriched" flour. To paraphrase Michael Pollan: if some stole $30 from your wallet and gave you $6 to make up for it, would you feel "enriched?"

So, I'll going to be scouting for some sources of unmilled grain. Ironically, one of the easiest place to find it is at survivalist stores. [Hoard your food to protect against the coming apocalypse!] I'd like to find a local farmer to buy it directly, but according to the Illinois Wheat Association, the wheat varieties that grow in Illinois don't have a high enough gluten content to make good bread, though they are fine for pancakes, cookies, etc.

At any rate, I've taken one more step down the path to craziness.