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Grains from Milmore Downs

"There are three things in life accounted most precious: friendship, knowledge and grain"

Crops are processed to order in the millhouse on the farm. As well as whole grains Milmore Downs produces flour, kibbled grain and flakes from spelt/Dinkel, wheat, barley and rye for sale in BioGro, and some also in certified Biodynamic/Demeter quality.

Buy Our Grain Products

Buy Our Grain Products

Milmore Downs and partner farms specialise in quality organic grain production.
We grow, harvest and process several varieties, all of which are available for purchase from this website.

No products produced by Milmore Downs are fortified with folic acid. (From mid-August 2023, NON-ORGANIC wheat flour suitable for bread making, produced or sold in New Zealand, must be fortified with folic acid.)
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Rye

Rye

Rye grows much better in cooler and drier regions than wheat, and also performs well on sandy soils. Rye is a 'light' germinator needing to be sown shallowly into a well prepared seed bed. Compaction or wet feet have a severe effect on rye and yields can slump dramatically if such conditions arise. It is wind pollinated to a substantial degree. This allows the introduction of outside lines which become 'integrated' over subsequent generations –
the rye variety on Milmore Downs has developed over 30 years from four main seed sources.

Our rye is popular because it bakes well (typically falling number values are high). However, the baking qualities of rye flour are fundamentally different to those of wheat. This is due to the enzyme constituents - rye flour has amylum destructive amylases which hinders raising and therefore it needs to be baked using sourdough as the raising agent. Pumpernickel, made solely from rye flour and kibbled rye is a well known type of rye bread, but very often rye is mixed into bread made with other grains.

Our rye flour is a wholemeal flour and milled in Zentrofan mills which produced a very finely milled flour. Learn more about our grain processing.

All rye products are BioGro* certified
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Barley

Barley

Barley is one of the oldest domesticated crops having been first recorded in cultivation in prehistoric times.

The grain is covered by an outer seed coat that covers the bran layer, a large starchy endosperm, and an oil-containing germ. The hull and bran are removed by a process called pearling. Once pearled it can be further processed to flour, semolina or flakes.

Barley flakes are ideal ingredients for muesli – or even an excellent replacement for oat flakes – they are sweeter with a lower fat content. Try making 'granola' - lightly toast with a few raisins, a drizzle of honey, sunflower or pumpkin seeds and perhaps some nuts.

All Barley products are BioGro certified
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Dinkel / Spelt

Dinkel / Spelt

Dinkel (triticum spelta) has been grown on the farm for some 20 years, in fact Milmore Downs pioneered this crop and its demanding processing requirements. The old variety used ensures excellent quality. As an ancient grain it relates to wheat. It was previously widely grown in Europe but due to its low yield and difficult growing characteristics it has mostly been replaced by modern wheat.

Although Dinkel contains as much gluten as wheat its gluten (protein) molecule has a different composition, which is why many people who are allergic to wheat can eat Dinkel. If you have a wheat allergy though you may or may not be able to eat Dinkel. Just try a small amount first.

Dinkel flour is a wonderful easily digestible product having a pleasant nutty taste. It can be used for bread but also for the full range of baking (cakes and biscuits, scones, pizza bases...) in exactly the same way as ordinary wheat flour though the bread dough may take longer to rise.
Flakes need to breath, please open bags directly after you got them.

All spelt / Dinkel products are BioGro* certified.
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Certified Organic Wheat Flours, Grain, Bran & Semolina

Certified Organic Wheat Flours, Grain, Bran & Semolina

Wheat is one of the oldest and most important cultivated food plants. Like all the seven grains, wheat is a member of the grass family. It prefers good fertility levels and sufficient moisture throughout the growing season.

Wheat is mostly used for baking bread and cakes. There are 3 main types of wheat:
  • So called biscuit wheat with a lower protein content ideal for cakes and pastries
  • Durum wheat, a very hard variety for making pasta
  • Hard or bread wheats with high protein levels and good baking characteristics.
Milmore Downs and partner farms grow hard wheat varieties with excellent baking strength.

All wheat products are BioGro certified
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