One of the things that my wife got for me was the Country Living Grain Mill, this is one of the best on the market and is capable of making fine pastry flour by hand. I put allot of research into this grain mill and am very happy with it, but the one thing that I have found is that when a review tells you that grinding fine pastry flour is easy compared to other brand, they are referring to relative ease. I have never used another hand crank grain mill, but I would be surprised if I get more caloric value from the flour that I grind than the caloric energy I expend grinding it. The one thing I am looking foreword to is hooking a motor up to my mill and using some good old fashioned electricity to grind my flour.We have been baking bread in the new Terra cotta bread pans that I got for Mimi and it has been wonderful. The bread is so good that we have stopped buying bread at the store and have converted entirely to home baked bread.
Other things that we got this Christmas include an All American brand pressure canner and cooker. My parents are to thank for that, but it has been a welcome addition to our self sufficiency plan.
