BOB'S RED MILL, MILWAUKIE, OR.

Three or four miles west of I-205 and just off of Oregon Highway 224 is an interesting, and healthy, whole grain emporium known as Bob's Red Mill. This is a unique store where any serious cook or baker can find a treasure of healthy, natural foods for even the most challenging recipe.

This now famous, and nearly iconic employee-owned business touts itself on their business cards as a place where the careful home cook can find "Stone Ground Whole Grain Foods For Every Meal of the Day"! And they back up that claim with hundreds of selections of grains, oats, legumes, dried fruits and nuts, and seeds in almost every form and possible variety of preparation.

The clear wrappings highlighted with the bright red and yellow labels are easily identified and are now commonly seen in most grocery stores that carry a line of grains and baking mixes. The picture above only captures a few of the many similar rows where varieties of rice or beans or flours or meal or soup-mix combinations are on display. First time shoppers should arrive with some idea of what they hope to purchase or risk being overwhelmed by the vast range of products offered. Want a small package? No problem. A larger quantity? OK. How about a mini-case of four or six of those? There it is! Need 25 pounds? Fifty pounds? Sure! Right down at the end of those rows against the far wall. And on this side are several hundred selections of similar products in the bulk bins.

We looked around first and then took a break to order lunch - healthy grain based offerings - in the in-house cafe. No fries here. Our sandwiches came with tasty grain tri-crackers and mini carrots, and a dill pickle spear with my Reuben. All around the room are displays and illustrations and informational posters and experienced (antique) pieces of equipment, most of which relate somehow to grinding or processing grain from the hard berry stage to some form of flour or meal.

It should be of no surprise to anyone who noted the title of my blog that I should gravitate to the collection of millstones on display throughout the store from the entrance to the aisles to the second level display ledges. Pictured above is an historic set of stones which produced wheat flour for many years before becoming an educational centerpiece. They sit near a room where an old-fashioned mill driven by a massive waterwheel is a featured showcase of the history of food mills. A careful search of the entire store would turn up another half a dozen millstones of varying sizes and types. Although they are just on show now, each of them served honorably as is shown by the wear and aged patina they each carry.

How about dropping by some day? Its part museum perhaps, but it's a great visit, and I don't think you can leave without having purchased something you will be eager to try out at home. BTW, as Kristi notes in her comment below, if you are interested in glueten free (GF) products, a visit to Bob's Red Mill is a must for you.