Stardew Valley shows players that there's a lot more to farming than just growing crops and feeding animals. To truly live off the land and support the farm, players can take their crops and refine them into the goods that we use every day — and may sometimes overlook.
One tool that allows players to do this is the mill. Though it may be somewhat low on many players' list of priorities when building their farm, it can come in quite handy, especially for players who love Stardew Valley's cooking mechanics. Here's how to build the mill, and what it can do for the farm.
Obtaining The Mill
Like other buildings for the farm, players can purchase the Mill from Robin at the Carpentry Shop. To do so, they will need to gather the following materials and bring them to Robin:
- 50 Stone, found by breaking rocks with the Pickaxe.
- 150 Wood, found by chopping trees with the Axe.
- 4 Cloth, made by running Wool through a Loom.
- 2,500g
Once purchased, the mill will be complete within two days. Players can then use it to process certain crops into refined goods.
Using The Mill
Once finished, players can use the mill to make a few different products from different types of crops, as listed below:
- Wheat can be used to make 1 Flour per crop. Wheat grows during Summer and Fall, takes four days to mature, and is harvested with the scythe.
- Beets will provide 3 Sugar per crop. Beet Seeds can be purchased from Sandy at the Oasis, and planted in the Fall. They take 6 days to grow.
- Unmilled Rice will provide 1 Rice per crop. Players can purchase Rice Shoots from Pierre starting in Year 2, or find them as a drop from grubs in the Mines. Plant Rice Shoots in the spring. They will mature in 8 days, or in 6 days if planted next to a body of water.
The player can put any number of any type of produce in the mill, and may choose to put different types of items into it at once if they choose. The following day, the goods may be retrieved from the box at the right of the mill.
Though none of these are particularly valuable, they are all incredibly useful for cooking, as making one's own flour, sugar, and rice allows the player to cheaply prepare plenty of cooked dishes. Players can either use these dishes to restore and buff themselves for fishing, mining, or other adventures, or can gift them to villagers to win their friendship. Flour and sugar come in particularly handy for preparing dishes during the Qi's Cuisine challenge, as they are used in several high-value recipes.