Running Out to Get a Bag of Flour

We just ran out yesterday to get a bag of flour. But this was not just any flour. It is supposed to be “soft” flour. We weren’t really sure what that meant, but a little research showed soft flour is made from soft wheat which has less protein and lower gluten content. It is generally what is used for cake flour and for great biscuits. We didn’t especially care about those facts. This was a good excuse (as if we needed one) to take a break from several days of writing and house addition planning. It also was good reason to get out into the bright sunshine on a warmer-than-it-has-been day and drive seventy-five miles or so to Boonville, North Carolina to the Boonville Flour and Feed Mill and its companion store, both built way back in 1896.

The store had lots to choose from and we didn’t resist getting more than just the flour, as can be seen from one of the accompanying photos. In addition to multiple types of flour and baking mixes, there were candies, pickles, canned veggies, sorghum molasses, and almost any type of preserve, jelly, and jam one could possibly want. There was even one jar labeled “Traffic Jam”; I meant to check the ingredients on that one, but unfortunately got distracted.

While the flour mill store was great, a trip off the mountain at this time of year is always a treat. We got to see spring working its way up the mountain as we drove to the lower elevation. And when we got down to Wilkesboro and beyond, it was delightful to see how many plants were in full bloom and how much more the trees and shrubs had leafed out in the short time since we had been there on another day out. Of course taking a few pictures is always part of our travels. Here are a few.

Some of our flour selections

We saw Bradford Pears everywhere in splendid bloom.

One of numerous fields carpeted in lovely “weeds”

I can’t resist an old farmhouse.

One gorgeous landscape!

These beauties watched us while we were watching them.

Oh, those lovely dark eyes!

We even found a few ladybugs for the wall of our little barn.

12 Replies to “Running Out to Get a Bag of Flour”

  1. Just lovely. You captured the day so well, and I could feel my breaths slowing down all over again. I’d thought about writing my own blog post about the trip, but now I don’t need to! 🙂

  2. A good story that painted pictures in my mind. There is a mill in Helen, GA, powered by a water wheel, and it sells flour and corn meal.

    Debbie has a mill for wheat, and the flour from it makes the best bread. The wisdom is that the good stuff in the wheat decays after it has been ground, so if the bread can be baked right after grinding the flour, it is healthier. I am an engineer, not a nutritionist, so I cannot vouch for that story, but it is a good one and I, for one, can attest to the goodness of the bread that results.

    Thanks for a great story.

    • Thanks, Rick, for your comment and for following the blog. We have a small mill that we use to grind the colorful corn grown in our garden. The meal is not only beautiful, but it also makes cornbread with a wonderful chewy texture–the best I’ve ever had.

  3. Enjoyed reading about your excursion and the photos are great!
    We have an old mill in Columbia, Adula Flour. It’s in the Vista district, near Gervais St. Years ago I used to purchase wheat germ, etc there for my home baked bread. Haven’t baked bread in eons…. Enjoy the arrival of spring on the mountain!

    • I appreciate your reading and commenting, Joanne. Several years ago I got the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and baked bread over the course of several months. The process was great and so was the bread. However, the container in which I kept the bread dough took up an entire shelf in the refrigerator and I got involved in some other projects, so the bread making went away. I imagine it might come back again one of these days; it would be a good wintertime activity. Maybe you should try it again when you aren’t too busy with your gardening.

  4. I enjoyed your post–and the photos! In the first photo, I noticed Gingerbread Pancake and Cookie Mix. That sounds REALLY yummy!

    • We’re looking forward to trying it, Leslie. I think I might go for the gingerbread cookies first. Thanks for reading.

  5. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling vicariously with you, Ron! Sounds like y’all had as much fun going as I did reading it 🙂 (and I’m sure there’s some good eating in your future!)

    • Thanks, Jan. We had buckwheat pancakes and thoroughly enjoyed them. We topped them with sorghum molasses we also got at the mill store. We’ll try to pace ourselves getting through the rest of the goodies.

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