Making scratch from scratch

[lighthawk]

I lease about ten acres out of my thirty and it is planted in yellow corn two years running. The third year into soybeans. This year I harvested about two bushels (still on the cob) and it is drying in my shed suspended in a mesh bag so mice can't get to it. I believe it should be dry enough now to grind it and store it. I tried a running a small quantity through my electric meat grinder and it seemed to do a pretty good job of grinding it, I was even able to sift out some corn meal from the finished product. Has anyone else done this on a larger scale? Did it result in any damage to the grinder. It is a pretty expensive grinder all stainless steel so I'm concerned about damaging it.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I wouldnt use a meat grinder for any grains.
Full grown birds can eat whole corn anyway

 

[Terri O]

When my pigs were young I made their food by grinding soybeans and corn in my Vita mix blender. If you can get one of them it works great! Terri O

 

[gsim]

I have a hand-grinder that is adjustable (cast-iron, alloy crank/wheel that is grooved for belt/pulley/electrical op if desired). I use it these days to grind up egg shells for recycling into chooks food, our food, or garden soil. I can grind egg shells to a consistency of dust if I want to so they can be added to our oatmeal or scrambled eggs. We are in our 60's so a natural calcium supplement like egg shells has to be a plus for both of us. I imagine that there is a lot more in egg shell than calcium. I am guessing that trace minerals that are in your soil are present in the shells too. Such things as selenium, magnesium, manganese, copper, etc , etc.

Best ever corn bread and whole-wheat bread I ever ate was made of flour I made using my grinder. I cooked it in my home-made oven over a fire made from deadwood sticks. ( was 1997 and I was testing my home made Y2K oven to see how it would work.) It blew away anything else I ever ate, and I suspect it was because of the freshness of the grain after being just ground that same day.

Wish I could find a hand grinder with grinding stones in place of cast iron grinding surfaces. That way I could grind rock salt for table use. It has loads of trace minerals too.

 

[lighthawk]

Bear foot... Just thought that if I cracked it they would take longer to find it, work harder for it, and not use it up as fast.
Terri O... The corn didn't harm the blades?
Gsim... Did you notice any dulling of the cutting blades. I know what you mean about fresh I sifted out the fines after I ground a small test batch and used them to coat salmon patties. Tasted great.
I suppose if I had to grind it with a grain grinder I will have to bite the bullet and buy one. I just hate to go to the added expense if I already have a piece of equipment that will do the job. Without getting damaged.
Coop and run are already going to cost me an arm and a leg.

 

[Doopy]

You might try some auctions in your area. Many times there are cast iron corn huskers, corn grinders, and many other kinds of hand powered crop processing equipment at auctions. I have an old corn grinder mounted on a big block of wood that my dad modified for a belt drive arrangement with a 1/4 HP electric motor. Has been working great for 60 years. I can adjust it to just break the corn kernels into two pieces of cracked corn or it can grind it into a finer meal (not flour).

But a word of caution . . . if you live close to a city people will come to the auction looking for decorative things to put on display in their gardens, on their porches, and in their great rooms. This drives the prices out of control. I've seen $5 items go for $50 when this happens.