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Frequently Asked Questions

Why stone ground?

Processed slowly and at cooler temperatures on antique buhr stone mills, the vitamins, nutrients, and wholesome goodness of the grain is preserved. The entire contents of the seed is mixed throughout the final product making it more nutritious, healthier, and more flavorful than its industrial counterpart

What’s the difference between stone grinding and roller milling?

Roller milling is a reduction process where the seed is cracked and sifted multiple times until the final product is the chalky white endosperm. This process removes most of the vitamins and all of the perishable ingredients in the seed. This is why industrial flour is fortified with synthetic vitamins. Around 32 vitamins are removed during this process and 8 are artificially replaced.Stone grinding processes the grain slowly and at cooler temperatures. In this way the vitamins, nutrients, and wholesome goodness of the grain is preserved. The entire contents of the seed is mixed throughout the final product making it more nutritious, healthier, and more flavorful than its industrial counterpart.

Why do I need to keep my product in the fridge?

Our flour is not sushie, but it is a live product, it is best to think of the flour like a potato, if you leave it on the counter its going to oxidize and change. We reccomend you keep our product refridgerated so you can enjoy the best possible bakes and breads from our flour.

What is locavore?

 A locavore is a person interested in eating food that is that is grown, raised, or produced locally, usually within 400 miles of home.

Are you organic?

At this time, Castle Valley Mill is not certified Organic. We purchase all our grains from Pennsylvania farmers within a few hundred mile radius. Our farmers tend to have smaller farms and most do not have the resources to become organically certified. Many of the farms use organic or natural methods of farming. Castle Valley Mill prefers local to organic.

What’s the difference between Grits and Polenta?

Grits and polenta are the same thing - it just depends on how you cook/serve them.Grits are made in a 4/1 ratio. 4 cups liquid to 1 cup grits. Follow the recipes on our website or google one. You cook them up and serve them like a mush. Polenta can be made from the leftover grits. You take the “porridge” and put it in a pan or glass to set up in the fridge. When it is a solid you slice it, dredge it in flour and fry it in oil and butter. It can be substituted for pasta. Great with cream sauces, red sauces, sautéed veggies, etc.

Where do you source your grain?

Most of our grains come from local PA farmers in Bucks, Lancaster, Lycoming, and Halifax counties.

Why does your flour cost more than other flours?

We purchase our grains from local farmers, not the huge farms in the Mid-West. Our farmers are growing specialty crops for us that are less hybridized for yield and pest resistance making them more expensive and higher risk. We also only purchase Non-GMO corn - which is more expensive.

Why do I need to keep your product cold?

We tell our customers to keep our product refridgerated to slow the oxidation process. Our ground products contain all the contents of the original seed: the germ, bran, and the oils, as well as the endosperm. The flavor and nutritional profile will degrade with warmer temperatures. Our flour has no preservatives and contains all the natural vitamins and minerals that God put into the seed.

How long will your product store?

If kept in the freezer, our ground products will stay fresh for over one year. But they usually aren’t around that long!

Can I visit the mill?

Because we are a working grist mill, we are not open to the public. If we do hold a special event or open house, we would announce it on our Facebook page.

Do you have a retail store?

We do not have a retail store location. However you can find all of our products at our online store.

Do you give tours?

Because we are a working grist mill, we are not open to the public. If we do hold a special event or open house, we would announce it on our Facebook page.

Can I rent your property for a private function?

Due to the nature of our business we can not hold functions unrelated to our business as the insurance costs would be prohibitive in addition to the loss of valuable production time.