oat groats. the quick and the slow.

Woe is the poor, ugly groat. So often its tender deliciousness is overlooked in favor of its more common cousin, the rolled oat, but preparing a groat for breakfast is about the same amount of work as cooking up a pot of oatmeal on the stove…it just takes a little more forethought (check the recipe below for oat groat cereal). But you want to know what the heck a groat is, anyway, right? Oat groats are the parent grain of the rolled oat; it’s what comes out of the stalk, and when that grain is processed by hulling or rolling or grinding it becomes a rolled oat, oat bran or oat flour.

Oat groat cereal
this is a simple and delicious treatment for oat groats, although you have to plan to let the groats soak overnight.

2 cups oat groats (you can get them online through Montana Monster Munchies)
3/4 cup pitted dates
yummy condiments like butter, fruit, flaked coconut, milk or cream, cinnamon, maple syrup, brown sugar & more!

Place groats in a large bowl. Cover with plenty of water, enough to cover groats by an inch or more. Place dates in a medium bowl. Cover with plenty of water. Cover both bowls with a kitchen towel and allow to soak overnight.

In the morning, place soaked groats and dates into the blender and slowly add enough water to make the mixture a thick porridge consistency (think oatmeal). Add toppings you like. Us? We’re partial to chopped dried apricots, coconut flakes and brown sugar.

Oat groat sprouts
the sprouts from oat groats are a delicious addition to sandwiches & salads, but my husband’s favorite way to eat them is straight from the jar while standing over the kitchen sink. Sprouted groats make for a good, healthy sprout with a mild flavor, although the thick hull can sometimes make for a tough chew. Sprouts will be ready to eat within two or three days.

1 cup oat groats (you can get them online through Montana Monster Munchies)
2-3 cups cold water

Place oat groats in a large, wide-mouth canning jar. Add water and mix with a spoon. Cut a piece of cheesecloth (or a paper coffee filter with a few pin-holes punched in it works well, too) to fit over the mouth of the jar then secure with a rubber band. Set aside and allow the groats to soak overnight, or for 8 to 14 hours.

Drain the groats and add more cool water to the jar. Put the cheesecloth secured with a rubber band back over the opening of the jar, and swish the groats around in the jar several times. Pour off all of the water, using the cheesecloth as a strainer. Place the jar in a cupboard or other location out of direct sunlight. Lean the jar against the side of the cupboard to position it at a 45-degree angle.

At this point, your procedure will become rinsing the groats three times each day following the procedure above, being sure to keep the jar in a cupboard and at a 45-degree angle.

After two days, you’ll notice the groats beginning to sprout (yay!). They’ll grow quickly and will be ready to eat once the roots are about 1/4-inch long. Give them a last rinse, place them in an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge until ready to eat.

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