Ever roll your own? I do; I roll OATS!

Yes, I have been rolling my own for about 10 years now--oats, that is. I make my own oatmeal.

Why? It is healthier. You see, the whole grain seed or groat, as it is called, will stay fresh for years, but only if it is in its whole condition. Once a grain is ground or rolled, it starts to break down, deteriorate, and oxidize. The fats become rancid and molds begin to grow. That means the oatmeal and flour and whole grain baked goods you buy in the store have all started to spoil.

Rolling oats is easy to do. All you need is an oat roller. Mine is Italian made and resembles a pasta maker. The whole oat groats go in the top, I turn the crank, the goats are smashed between steel rollers, and out come the rolled oats into the hopper below. There are electrified models, but I figure I can use the upper arm exercise, and it is not hard to turn. I just roll the oats I need before I begin baking.

If you and your family enjoy hot, cooked oatmeal cereal, or you bake a lot, you might consider rolling your own too. I use oatmeal primarily for oatmeal muffins. I eat them for breakfast. (I never did master eating cooked oatmeal--it's a texture thing.)

When I used to bake cookies every few weeks, I would use oats for oatmeal cookies. Since middle age spread hit, we've had to substitute oatmeal muffins as our middle age treat.

I get my oat groats as well as other grains and baking supplies from Barbara, a homeschool acquaintance. Barb grew her interest in whole grain baking into a business. She organizes a bulk shipment, usually twice a year, for a spring order and fall order. Barb recently began holding baking classes at her home. You might ask her about the dates for her next session.

Spring orders are due May 13th with a pick up the following month at Waukesha Bible Church in Waukesha. She also has a Madison area pick up. Check out her new blog at Barbara's Breadspot. If you are interested in placing an order, email her at breadspot@sbcglobal.net and she will email you an order form. If whole grain and bean cooking interests you, you can think about it over the summer and place a fall order later on.

I am always fascinated with what people order. There are buckets of bulk honey, grain, bags of dried beans and other grains, maple syrup, baking supplies like yeast and dough enhancer, and even cook books! Barb runs a well oiled machine. Pick up is easy and efficient: You just drive in, they get your order sheet, they load you up, and away you go!

Guess I better dig out my oatmeal muffin recipes and share them with you. They are pretty tasty and guilt free. They just might get you rolling your own.

Links:
Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, CNS News, Jay Weber, Mark Levin, Vicki McKenna Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, The Heritage Foundation