I’ll admit that Mom has been trying to get me to go gluten-free for a couple years.  I resisted, primarily because I don’t want to give up all those wonderful baked goodies!  I also own a grain mill and have several buckets of wheat sitting in my house.  I was convinced that grinding flour myself allowed me to have all the benefits of whole grains, without anything (ie. germ) being removed.  After a week of being gluten free (GF), I was amazed how good I felt!  So, I’ve taken the plunge and GF is becoming a way of life.  In fact, after about 3 weeks with no gluten, I decided to eat a sandwich made with regular bread.  I ended up so sick — for 2 days — that I won’t be “cheating” again anytime soon!  I guess my body was enjoying the gluten break, and when it was reintroduced by body revolted

One big concern I had regarding eating GF was how this was going to affect my journey towards simplicity.  I also wondered about the long term food storage I have been slowly building up.

Amazingly, changing my diet has actually pushed me further down the road to simplicity.  I’m much more likely to eat at home, and I’m taking time to prepare foods from scratch and to do it more thoughtfully.  I found a new home for all my glutenous grains, and even sold my grain mill so I could purchase a new, clean mill for grinding gluten free grains.  Now my food storage includes buckets of buckwheat, millet, sorghum, and amaranth.

Unfortunately, some specific items needed to for GF baking are not as easily accessed or suitable for long term storage.  I am determined to find sources and learn ways to prepare foods with ingredients that travel the fewest food miles and have the maximum shelf life possible.

Thankfully, there are many sites and books dedicated to GF cooking!  I have made sandwich bread, which tastes absolutely “normal” and delicious, as well as pancakes that my family didn’t even know were GF.

Homemade gluten-free sandwich bread.

Just like everything else that happens here on my suburban homestead, I plan to share my GF successes and failures with you.  Along with my books on GF living, I’ve also picked up quite a few books this summer that cover a variety of topics pertinent to suburban homesteading, simplicity and self-sufficiency.  I’m looking forward to posting some book reviews starting next week.  My latest, favorite read is “Made From Scratch” by Jenna Woginrich.   What books have helped you on your journey to simplicity?