About Me

a fresh milled flour sandwich bread loaf sliced showing the inside crumb. a metal knife lays on a red gingham pattern hot pad. on a wooden countertop

two hands forming a heart over a table full of wheat berries

hand holding freshly milled flour in a metal bowl

hand scooping wheat berries getting ready to put them in the flour grain mill to mill flour into a metal bowl

sliced sourdough bread boule made from fresh milled flour.

woman standing and waving in front of a flour grain mill and whole grain wheat berries.

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Kara, it’s nice to meet you. I would love to have you here. Follow Me Along My Journey!

I just wanted to share a little about me, my history, and my family. How I got to be the person I am, and why I am so passionate about milling my own flour and grains.

Early Life

I grew up in a small town in Ohio, in a fairly large family. Even as a young child, I loved to bake, and make up recipes. My friends would come over, and then we would make up our own recipes, and make them just for fun! (Gina, I am talking to you! lol) I am offering a big “Thank You” shoutout to my parents for putting up with that. Because these concoctions were NOT all successful! LOL

So, as a teen, baking was put on the back burner for me, as I prepared for college and adulthood. However, the burning desire was still in there. But, many other things were also on my mind.

Merging Into Adulthood

While I transitioned into adulthood, the urge to create continued to increase and grow stronger. But, so did this new found fascination to “sell it all” and travel fulltime. (Before it was popular.) How would I be able to bake in an RV? Where would I find the time and the SPACE? All these questions, and more continued to swirl around in my mind.

a woman standing outside in front of a horizontal wooden fence

Well, we decided to sit down with our two children, who were almost 10 and 5 years old at the time, and have a family discussion. We talked about where we could go and what we could see. And, since I have an amazingly supportive husband and children, we decided to make it work . . . somehow

Hitting The Road Fulltime

So, in August of 2015, my family “launched” in a fifth wheel to travel the country. We didn’t know how long this would last, or where we would end up. But, we did it together, and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

fifth wheel camper RV outside on grass in Ohio

While we were adventuring through Florida many years ago, I attended a sourdough master class. I did this out of curiosity to see what it entailed and what it was all about. And, let me tell you, this opened up a whole new world for me! I loved this new found love, and fairly quickly began to master beautiful loafs of sourdough bread. I was also enjoying making sourdough discard recipes. All while learning along the way! Later, I would find out about fresh milled flour, and the health benefits it offers. This leveled up the need to experiment with trial and error. I was determined to get it all right. (That may also be the perfectionist in me peaking out.)

Natural Is My Preference

I am continually searching for ways we can naturally be healthier and just feel better. First, I search for remedies without artificial, or manmade medications, chemicals, etc. (There certainly is a time and place for some of these, but I always try to explore the natural option first.) Am I perfect, no, but I improve every day. If someone in the family has an issue or problem, you can bet I am already reading and researching all about it, and what can help with whatever it is.

woman hugging a Bosch compact mini mixer

My Passions

So, now enters this Passion to educate. More specifically, to teach anyone who will listen about the benefits of whole grains, and milling your own wheat at home. My goal is to teach others everything that I have learned along the way! There is a HUGE learning curve to fresh milled flour, and how it behaves, and reacts, and adjusting kneading times, and hydration changes, and…Well, I guess that’s why you are here, right? Whether you stumbled here on accident, or you meant to find me, seems to me, that if you are still reading this is must be fate! So, get ready to learn all my tips and tricks, as you follow me on my journey with Grains In Small Places!

a family of four people outside standing in front of the grand canyon of Yellowstone. about me section

Fun Facts About Me:

I am a research nerd!
Reading & Writing were my most dreaded classes in High School
I am a very introverted person
We lived off my home sewn dog collar sales for nearly 7 years!
I am a registered Veterinary Technician, however, I haven’t worked in a clinic since my daughter was young
We owned a Miniature Horse Farm before we began traveling
Last time I checked, I could still do a cartwheel

I hope you learned a little about me and Grains In Small Places!

Where Do You Go Next?

I recommend you checkout my Fresh Milled Flour 101 post and video. Follow me along on YouTube, and sign up to be a Grainy Fan.

Fresh Milled Flour 101 Post

Fresh Milled Flour 101 Video

Join Me On Facebook

Sign Up To Be A Grainy Fan

Window Pane Test- Fail & Success

One of the most common mistakes when baking with fresh milled flour is not kneading enough! I find that Fresh milled wheat takes much longer to knead, sometimes even up to 25 minutes! But, if you just take your time, and learn how you want your dough to look, act, and feel… Then I promise, you will have beautiful loaves of bread in no time!

Also, Don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel!

About Me Grains In Small Places : Intro Video

Here is a little intro to my Youtube Channel. Also, introducing my family, and our lifestyle. We love to connect with our fans! Thank you for stopping by Grains In Small Places!