Another Great Grain-Oats

Another one of my food storage staples is Oats. Rolled, quick, whole oat groats...however you decide to store them, they are a great item to have on hand. When we first started our food storage, we put all of our oats into a 6-gallon bucket. For us, that was a mistake. We used oats for cookies and the occasional batch of oatmeal, but that was it and after 4 years or so, our oats were VERY stale. The Church says that rolled oats can last up to 30 years, so why did ours go bad so fast? Probably because our oats were exposed to oxygen most of the 4 years it was stored. (Storing in buckets is a great idea if you rotate the stored item quick enough, or if the food is in its "whole" form and therefore can be stored a lot longer). I now dry pack all of our oats so that only limited amounts are exposed to the air at a time, that way, my oats will be good for a nice, long time.

Forms of Oats

Oat Groats - Whole grain of the oat, with only the outer hard husks removed.

Oat Flour - You can make this yourself by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender. Oat flour adds great flavor to breads and because of certain natural preservative in the oats themselves, it improves their shelf life. Oats contain no gluten, which is needed for bread to rise, so it must be mixed with a gluten-containing flour such as wheat. Substitute 1 of every 5 parts of wheat flour with oat flour. If your recipe is for a quick bread, no addition of other flours is necessary.

Steel Cut Oats or Scottish Oats or Irish Oats- These are groats which have been cut into two or three pieces. Cooking time is considerably longer than for rolled oats. This is a great option for people suffering from Celiacs Disease as McCann's Steel Cut Oats are gluten-free.

Rolled Oats- These are made by steaming the groats and flattening them with a roller.

Quick Cooking Rolled Oats -These are made by flattening pre-cut groats. They cook in about 5 minutes.

What To Store?

Deciding what to store is a personal decision, based on how you are going to use them. I like to store both quick and regular rolled oats for cookies, instant and baked oatmeal, and oat flour. I also hope to store some whole oat groats which will store for a LONG time and will allow me to make my own steel cut oats. If I am feeling really adventurous, I might even invest in a roller-flaker mill that will allow me to make my own rolled oats. (I have seen roller-flaker machines on display at the LDS Cannery and also at the Bosch Kitchen Center...they run around $100).

To get you started...


Baked Oatmeal ~ Heather Fairbanks

2 C Oatmeal

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1 t Baking Powder

1 t Cinnamon

1/2 t Salt

1 C Milk

1/4 C Melted Butter

1 Egg, beaten

1/2-1 C dried fruit (i.e. apples, craisins, raisins and 1/2 nuts)

Bake in a 9x9 pan in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. (You can also double the recipe for a 9x13 pan).

You can also top your oatmeal with pear sauce from the LDS Cannery...tasty!