Plimoth Grist Mill Heritage Rhode Island Whitecap Sampe

Bred by the Narragansett tribe of Rhode Island, this native corn variety has maintained local popularity for over 300 years.  Rhode Island White Cap Flint is traditionally used for making Johnny Cakes, thin cornmeal pancakes often served with butter and maple syrup.  Compared to modern hybrids it has modest yield, producing one or two long, skinny ears per plant.  However, it has been kept from extinction thanks to a small group of local enthusiasts who recognized the historical importance of the variety and sought to preserve it for future generations.  

The corn is stone ground on antique millstones and, like the first grist mill built here in 1636, our waterwheel is powered by Plymouth’s Town Brook.

Flavor and Preparation

Our cornmeal and sampe are made from whole kernel corn and are milled in small batches between massive 200 year-old millstones. Commercially produced cornmeal usually removes the germ to increase shelf life. Our products contain the whole grain, the whole flavor, and all the nutrition. We recommend storing them in the refrigerator or freezer, where they’ll remain fresh for a year or more. Cornmeal & Sampe are sold separately in 1 LB bags.

How we make our cornmeal and sampe

Organic corn is fed through an opening in the top (runner) stone and is drawn between it and the bottom (bed) stone. The power from the waterwheel turns the runner stone. The corn is forced into wide grooves (furrows) cut in both stones and is, scissored into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally, the ground corn works its way to the edge of the stone, falls off the edge into a chute and from there into the flour bin down below.

Our stone ground is sifted by hand, and the finer pieces are bagged for sale as cornmeal. The larger pieces are separated from the hull (seed coating) and then sifted again through a coarser screen. The result of this second sifting we bag and sell as sampe, also known as grits, or polenta.

For wholesale inquiries call 1-800-262-9356