by Melissa Reiss, Purchasing Assistant
When Lonesome Stone Milling’s co-owner Gilbert Williams recently retired, the entire stone mill was given a new life some 20 miles away on a new farm. In March of this year, Meadowlark Community Mill was officially up and running.
Here is the story of a “team of passionate farmers, millers, bakers, and grain enthusiasts who are rebuilding our regional grain economy.”
The team consists of John Wepking, supply manager/project manager; Halee Wepking, marketing and general manager; Rink DaVee, head miller and production manager who came over from Lonesome Stone; as well as Paul and Levi Bickford, who assist in equipment maintenance and fabrication; and Duane Wepking, who assists with mill design and facilities management.
John and Halee began a working relationship with Lonesome Stone Milling when they ran a cafe together in Lancaster, Wisconsin. After some time spent farming on John’s family farm, the couple moved to Ridgeway—a village nestled in the Driftless area—where they started Meadowlark Organics. With more land and equipment, they were able to increase their grain production, and in 2016 they sold their first wheat to Lonesome Stone’s owner and miller Gil. In 2018, Meadowlark Organics received a USDA Value Added Producers Grant which allowed Meadowlark to work with Lonesome Stone as a "toll-miller" (toll milling is when a company offers milling or grinding of materials as a service for another company who, in return, pays a fee or "toll”) and establish its own brand and relationships with consumers and commercial bakers.
I recently chatted with Halee to get the scoop about the transition and what’s in store for Meadowlark Community Mill. She was kind enough to share a recipe with us, so be sure to check that out too.
Could you explain a bit about the 'Community' part of your business name?
Halee: Central to our mill is the idea that we are here to serve more than just our own farm. While 800 acres sounds like a lot, we have a very diversified crop rotation which means we only grow around 350 acres of small grains for milling (like wheat, rye, and spelt) each year. Our goal is to expand the demand for locally grown and processed small grains so that more farmers have access to an equitable market and the incentive to grow food for their community (instead of producing commodity row crops like corn and soybeans). We also plan to offer custom milling services to other growers who want to sell their grain as flour directly to their own customers. So, farmers are one of the communities we serve. We also are committed to the success of all bakers who use our flour and seek to cultivate a community of bakers who feel confident baking with our freshly milled stone ground flour. When we're able to do so safely, we hope to have baking classes, tours, and other gatherings at our on-farm mill in Ridgeway.
Let’s talk about your product offerings. Anything new in your lineup since the transition?
We are using the same stone mill as Lonesome Stone and sourcing much of the same grain, so it should be a very familiar product to customers. In addition to the old standards like all-purpose and bread flours, you’ll also see some heritage varieties emerging.
We are now selling several different kinds of cornmeal. In addition to the yellow, we have red and white. You'll also find some of our heritage and ancient varieties of grain like Spelt and Turkey Red.
In the coming months we'll have polenta and white grits, as well as buckwheat flour and light rye flour. We also plan to bring the pancake and cornbread mixes back!
What is your favorite product you make?
We are really excited about our red flint cornmeal, which has beautiful deep red flakes in a yellow cornmeal. This is an open-pollinated variety that we've been hand-selecting seed for for years. We use the cornmeal in pancakes, waffles, cookies, and cakes. It adds a sweetness and a nice texture, as well as a lovely color.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Our Bolted Flours are what Lonesome Stone called "Sifted" but the process is the same—"bolted" is a term from the early days of milling when bolts of fabric were used to remove a portion of the bran, and is now industry lingo.
Thank you, Halee, for your time! Check out Meadowlark Community Mill products in our Bulk aisle as well as our baking section. Look for the beautiful new package designs!
Meadowlark Community Mill Whole Grain Pancakes
The size of a proper pancake is quite a sliding scale, but for us, this recipe makes around 10-12 pancakes, which feeds two adults and two little ones just fine. If you have a kitchen scale, use the gram measurements. It’s much faster, cleaner, and more accurate.
1 3/4 c. (225-240 grams) Whole Grain Flour. This can be a combination of Pastry or All Purpose flour. (Feel free to add in cornmeal, rye, or another variety but limit to 75 grams or 1/2 cup.)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 c. (275 grams) milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract (if desired)
3 Tbs. (45 grams) butter (or lard)
2 Tbs. (35 grams) honey (or sorghum syrup)
Directions: In a small saucepan, warm the honey and butter until the butter is just melted. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine. In another, slightly smaller bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla (optional). Whisk until the mixture is frothy and the eggs are well incorporated.
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, and whisk until just combined. Slowly pour in the warm melted butter and honey mixture, whisking to incorporate. Be careful to not overmix.
Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes (if you can possibly bear it), and preheat a heavy cast iron pan or griddle. Once the griddle is hot, reduce the heat to low. Observe your batter, and add a splash of milk if it seems a bit too thick. A well-seasoned pan shouldn’t need any fat in the pan, but a little butter to grease the skids can’t hurt. Fry one up, and adjust the hydration to suit your tastes. We’ve found that a batter a little on the thick side makes a more pillowy pancake.
Variations:
1. Lickety split: If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the melted butter/lard and honey/sorghum step by just adding 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the dry ingredients and 3 tablespoons of neutral oil (canola, sunflower, etc.) to the wet.
2. Sourdough pancakes: Do you have a 100% hydration sourdough starter discard that you need a use for? Mix in a cup or so with the liquid ingredients (provided it hasn’t gotten too sour/acidic). When we go this route, we like to replace 1/2 teaspoon of the baking powder with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. This will make the batter nice and lively.