I've Looked at Oats From Both Sides Now

Wow!!  Happy February, Farm Friends!  I call February the longest, shortest month. 

Yesterday was another in which the sun never shown... no beautiful sunrise and no warming rays ever touched the land.  The land, though still quite soggy, is drying a little more each day.

  Although I might have heard that we are headed into more rainy weather - which will completely negate any drying that has occurred.

This seems to be our winter weather pattern nowadays... more rain than snow and warmer than average.

So... life goes on and we live with the mud.

I realized that perhaps there are a few souls that don't get as much blog-time as others.  So, let's have a visit with some of our lesser-seen friends.  We are still holding steady in the barn cat family.  Regular barn residents include Moll...

Bea One....

Bea Two:

 and of course, our huge boy, Pete!  Pete is definitely the barn manager and oversees all that happens there.

Although Bobby lives in the garage and has food 24/7, he never misses an opportunity to have a yummy breakfast with the barn kitties.

There are also a few come-and-go cats... the orange ones of which we have occasionally gotten a photo. They remain very elusive and have no interest in much of anything but the plentiful food and warm, dry beds that the barn provides.  Companionship?  Nah.... they're loners.

I know that I often show only Ginger standing at the treat box.  Typically, not far behind comes Faith - 

and both girls get plenty of treats.  Faith has not been venturing out into the front pasture lately.  I am assuming she has the sense that there is no grazeable grass at this time of year, and contents herself with the soft hay that we keep in her hay feeder.

And yes, Faith can still see - she is not wool blind, however, I will be trimming the wool around her eyes since she will not get shorn until late April.

As for the runner ducks... we still have the same free-ranging four (males) who find their way up to visit with our other two, Forest and Jenni (Jenni with one eye) who have their own shed and yard up near the chickens.  We sequestered these two so that Jenni would not be the object of five males' affections (too much for any gal!)

The guinea flock has 11 members.  This particular group of guineas have kept the most members for the longest time, of any group of guineas we have ever raised.  Though they can be a bit noisy - they are the perfect alarm system should any unwanted critters or people enter the farm.  They do an amazing job of keeping the tick population at bay, as well - also providing comic relief to any given day.

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Yesterday's post brought up a couple questions that I thought I might talk about today.

First of all... yes, you can freeze sourdough starter.  From what I have read, it can be stored in the freezer for an extended time in an airtight container.  Although it will take a little work to thaw it and get it well-fed, active, and bubbly.

Another way to preserve starter for a long time is to smear some on parchment paper, dry it, and then crush it and store it in an airtight container.  When you are ready to use it, it gets re-hydrated and fed to make it active and bubbly.  I have read that this is the way that early settlers took their sourdough along with them.

[Disclaimer:  I am no food expert, however I am passionate about food.  I love to cook and bake and try to keep informed about our foods.   Jack and I eat basically a "whole foods" diet avoiding processed foods as much as possible.  Our diet consists of vegetables (and lots of them), fruits, nuts, locally raised poultry, wild caught salmon, and locally raised bison (as a beef alternative - although we do eat some locally raised, pastured beef and pork, as well), whole grains, and home-baked breads, etc.  We eat oatmeal or organic cream of wheat if we eat any cereal - but generally only eat a little bit of these instead of toast, along with eggs and vegetables and fruit for breakfast.  Over the past several years, I have done a lot of research into our country's food systems and have drastically changed the way I feed my family.  It's been a journey.]

The question was asked what "good oats" are.  And is this a type of flour?  I have never heard that term used and had no luck finding an explanation for it.  However, that question leads me to another food discussion regarding oats and the different types available.

Let me say.... we love oatmeal.  Oatmeal is an extremely nutritious, energy-packed food.  It is high in fiber and beneficial for lowering LDL (bad cholesterol)  It is a grain, (gluten free, unlike wheat) - and can be used in it's various processed forms or ground into a flour for bread baking (but that is a whole other discussion). My favorite bread recipe uses rolled oats as an add-in.  

The thing is... not all oatmeals are the same.  Oats, as they are harvested from the plant are called groats.  It's how these groats are processed that determines their nutritional characteristics. Lets break oats down into types.... meaning... steel cut, rolled, or instant - and there is a vast difference between them.

Also there are sprouted and organic options.  We'll talk about these later.

Steel cut oats are simply whole oat groats that are sliced into two or three pieces.  In this process, the oats retain their outer coating (the bran) making them more nutritious with a higher fiber and protein count.  These oats (which take the longest to cook - about 30 minutes) take longer to digest and thus keep one satiated longer, as well as helping to maintain a healthier blood sugar level.  Steel cut oats are the nutritional king of oats.

Rolled oats are just that... groats that have been put through rollers.  In this process, the oat loses its bran and thus, though still packed with fiber and nutrients has a slightly lower protein and fiber level than steel cut.  However, rolled oats are versatile and can be used as cereal and in baking.

Instant (quick) oats are more processed, by being a pulverized version of rolled oats - also losing their bran.  They take a shorter time to prepare, but are lower in protein and fiber, and the flavored varieties are higher in sugar.   These flavored, instant oats are no healthier than eating an off-the-shelf, sugared, variety of cereal.

Oats that are sprouted are higher in some nutrients than regular oats.  Sprouted oats can be used interchangeably.  Personally, we buy our organic, sprouted oats at Costco... this brand:

What are organic oats?   First off, there is no such thing as a GMO oat... though some are marketed as non-GMO (that is just a marketing trick.)   No oats have been genetically modified.  However, because the US is the world's largest importer of oats grown elsewhere - we have very little input as to how they are grown and harvested.  It is a somewhat common practice in some countries to spray their oats with glyphosate (Roundup) in order to have the plants dry out more quickly for harvesting.  That means, if you are not eating organic oats, you run the risk of ingesting some glyphosate residue.  Personally, knowing that we all live in a chemical soup these days, I try to reduce our exposure by sticking with organic alternatives.  Sadly, organic alternatives are more costly.  And that, in itself, is yet another discussion.

Although I am very particular about the foods that I choose, I would never food-shame anyone.  Feeding a family is an extremely expensive proposition these days.  And food preparation becomes harder and harder the older we get.   Food preferences and choices are a personal matter.  I only like to provide information - no judgment. 

Forrest, with the only bird he's allowed to have in his mouth... a rubber chicken!