Emma Zimmerman was working toward a doctorate in neuroethics (a combination of bioethics and neuroscience) at McGill University in Montreal when she received a phone call that prompted her to dramatically change course.
Her dad, Jeff Zimmerman, told her about his idea of restarting the long-shuttered Hayden Flour Mills in her hometown of Tempe, Arizona. He wasn’t interested in restoring its iconic silos. Rather, he wanted to use the power of the Salt River to stone-grind grains as Charles Hayden had done when he founded the mills in 1874.
Having grown up on a diversified farm in North Dakota, Jeff Zimmerman had witnessed modern seed varieties engineered for industrial roller milling eclipse the old grains on his family farm. He wanted to find out if those mass-market methods were to blame for the bland loaves Americans had grown accustomed to.
That “harebrained idea,” as his daughter now jokingly calls it, convinced her to join him in that endeavor. Together they began growing and milling near-extinct grains with names such as Tibetan Purple Barley and Blue Beard Durum. Along the way, she befriended chefs and sharpened her culinary skills so she could incorporate those freshly milled grains into creative meals for her growing family.
She chronicles her discoveries in “The Miller’s Daughter: Unusual Flours and Heritage Grains: Stories and Recipes From Hayden Flour Mills” (Hardie Grant, $29.99). In these gorgeously photographed pages, she introduces readers to 10 different crops, each with its own sensory-rich profile and recipes like Chilled Yogurt Barley Soup, Aunt Sadie’s Einkorn Tabbouleh, Rye Gougeres with Caraway, and Prickly Pear-Soaked Semolina Cake.
Chickpea flour, though made from legumes, also gets its own chapter. Not only do chickpeas thrive in arid climates, she explains, but they also restore the nutrients in the soil depleted by the wheat. If you’ve never cooked with it, Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies would be a delicious place to start.
Through engaging storytelling, easily digestible agricultural facts, and inviting recipes such as these, Zimmerman inspires us to diversify our pantries — for the benefit of the planet and our palates.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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