The Garden on the Hilltop

November here in the North has been cold just like October
and while I´m not a “grain person” normally
- I have been craving oats - and using them a lot.

Oats (Avena sativa) is a very interesting grain
From Wikipedia :

While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed. Oats make up a large part of the diet of horses and are regularly fed to cattle as well. Oats are also used in some brands of dog and chicken feed.

Well I don´t think the Scots or Irish people would agree -
that it is just “SUITABLE” for humans- it is really a very tatsy grain.

Oats have played a major part in area where wheat did not grow well.
In South Scandinavia we started to grow oat 2000 years ago- but it was most common in the colder periods .

Compared to rice and wheat, oat is far more nutritious -especially since most people eat rice and wheat in its refined way - so oats really beat both rice an wheat with a high protein, good fat and good fibres.

The break down shows:
pr 100 grams
oats - - wheat (whole hard winter) - -rice (dry brown)
calories 389 - - 327 - - 370
protein 17 g - - 13 g - - 8 g
carbohydrates 66 g - - 71 g - - 77 g
fibres 11 g - - 12 g - - 4 g
fat 7 g — 2 g - - 3 g

nutritiondata

Oat bran, the outer casing of the oat is believed to lower LDL (”bad”) ? cholesterol,
and possibly to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Oats might be safe for some celiacs
Oats lack many of the prolamines found in wheat; however, oats do contain avenin. Avenin is a prolamine that is toxic to the intestinal submucosa and can trigger a reaction in some celiac. Although oats do contain avenin, there are several studies suggesting that oats can be a part of a gluten free diet if it is pure.
Oats are part of a gluten free diet in for example, Finland and Sweden.( And Denmark)
In both of these countries there are “pure oat” products on the market. ( wikipedia )

Good first food
I would use it as a first grain for baby - after the glutenfree like millet, rice, quinoa has been introduced. However it is important always to soak oats just like are foremothers did

Good stuff with oats:

The buckwheat crepes from NT on page 480 is nice made with oat flour instead of buckwheat- taste good and is rather rich.

I also bake scottish oatcakes:
8 oz/ 225 g Fine Oatmeal( pinhead- or I use rolled oats processed to flour)
1/2 tsp Barcarbonate of Soda or a little bit baking powder
Pinch of Salt
2 tbl Melted Butter/ghee
4-5 oz fl /140-150 ml Hot Water
Extra Oatmeal for rolling

To oven bake; place on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Do not let the oatcakes brown; they should be a pale fawn colour.

Traditionally these were griddle baked.
Sometimes I bake them at a lower temp for a longer time.
They are good with a anything fatty - like cheese
Well at best these should really be made with something acid like whey or lemonjuice- but I don´t always get around to do that.

Another favourite is this oatmeal “cookie”
Apple raisin bar:
3 apples
1 handful raisin
1 cup brown sugar ( or other sweetner)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup white spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
250 grams / 2 sticks butter

Mix butter, flour, oats, baking soda and 2/3 of sugar until it resembles crumbs.
Put 4 cups of oat crumble in a square 20 x 20 cm tin prepared with baking paper.
Press mixture.
Cut apples in thin slices. divide half over pastry, sprinkle last bit of sugar, cinnamon and raisins- add last bit of apples.
Sprikle remaining oat mixture - pres together.
Bake in 190 c/ 375 F hot oven for about 35 minutes.
Let it cool an cut into bars.
Now really this should have had the oats soaked -but I havn´t figured out yet to make it

A traditional saying in England is that “oats are only fit to be fed to horses and Scotsmen”, to which the Scottish riposte is “and England has the finest horses, and Scotland the finest men”.

Well it certainly was part of my upbringing
- I had oat porridge from October to June - every morning with raisins and cream or butter.

About the Author...

I am a 35 year old woman who lives with my teendaughter in an old wooden house on a hilltop in Denmark. I have got a BA in prehistoric archeology and got a teacherdegree as well. I love books, plants, animals, kids and nourishing food.