Settlers along the southern colonial frontier grew Pencil Cob corn, named for its very narrow cob. When there were no large local mills to produce Pencil Cob grits, milling became part of the daily food chores on the frontier. A small, round, horizontal hand-driven stone mill called a quern mill was the front-yard tool of choice for this food. A quern mill measured up to 20 inches in diameter and was composed of a heavy rotating top stone positioned on a thin, stationary bottom stone. The corn was trickled into a hole on the top of the mill as the upper stone was rotated by hand. With enough effort, grits spilled out the sides. This process was hard work, but the reward was immediate because the grits were milled directly into the cooking pot—an early rustic version of fresh milling. Anson Mills is faithful to this food form. We quern mill these grits by hand to demonstrate why this unusual corn survived into the 21st century. Pencil Cob grits say “corn” in aroma and flavor more boldly than any other grits we produce.

This product is gluten free.