If only…

As abundant as locally-produced produce, meats and cheese can be, there is almost nothing in the way of locally produced flour. Which is a pity. Once upon a time, most towns had mills, usually grist mills for corn, but often flour mills for local wheat. Nowadays of course virtually all milling is industrial. Part of that is for good reason, since small milling operations would probably be unable to achieve the fine, consistent grinds needed for many types of bread, cake and pastry. But artisan breads, that utilize coarser grinds of wheat and other grains, are another matter entirely. Which is why we’re starting to see a few specialty milling operations popping up here and there to meet the demands of artisan bakers. Maybe the trend will spread to the Ohio Valley one day. Hey, a baker can dream, can’t he?