# Oats ...



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Right now I'm working on a new project ... Milky oats...

I'm working the research now as I type ...  Now I have grown oats for the critters. (hay) but never for myself ... in the milk stage to dry for tea and other uses ... 

I've done more than a few searches and came up with a few very cool YouTube's... So as a general question to the PS folks ... Have you done this before? 

Tips ... Pros/cons ???

:help:


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Edit: Now I'm looking up milky oats.  Jim McDonald suggests that if you use the milky oats in a tincture you can put the oat tops and alcohol/liquid in a blender for a bit to help extract the goodness from them.

I have a tea blend from Gail Faith Edwards of Blessed Maine Herb Farm that is a blend of oatstraw, red clover, red raspberry leaves, and peppermint. That is a good combination for me, you could probably substitute other herbs, lemon balm comes to mind as a good partner for oats. (edit complete)
Haven't used the milky tops yet myself, but oatstraw infusion is my favorite infusion and I use oatstraw in my herbal broths and bone broths. Just dried oatstraw chopped up, I barter with a relative who has an oat patch.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I've never even heard of "Milky Oats" but will watch the thread with interest, not many things easier to grow than oats.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Milky refers to the stage when the oats are still green. If you squeeze the 'oat' or seed before it ripens it is milky. People harvest the milky tops for tea or other uses, and the oatstraw is said to be sweeter when it is green, although I think the golden dried oatstraw is sweet in an infusion. (Infusion is like a super strong tea).
I'll add: much like an oatmeal bath soothes the skin, the oat plant is used in various ways to soothe the nervous system. It is has a calming effect when drunk as a tea or infusion, thinking along the lines of chamomile which is beneficial to the skin and internally... now that's a good combination for a hot bath, oats or oatstraw with chamomile in a muslin bag or clean knotted sock in a bath.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

We grow a lot of oats for feed and grain but never though much about the immature grains for people. They taste ok in the milk stage, not as sweet as wheat or barley though, in my sampling, I have to taste everything

The milk to milky dough stage is the best time to cut the plant for optimal nutrition as animal feed, after that the plant begins to die off and it moves nutrients from the straw to the seed. We also cut our oats for grain when it is still a bit green because the animals like the straw a lot better.
Interesting idea.

I recently was reading somewhere about how you can soak whole oats (with hulls still on) in water and mash it up to extract the grain without machinery. I really like oats and believe it to be a particularly healthy food so I will have to do more research on this myself at some point. Hopefully you will let us know how it goes


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Lake Windsong said:


> People harvest the milky tops for tea or other uses, and the oatstraw is said to be sweeter when it is green,


My brother and I used to chew on the green oat plants when we would be out prowling around, they are sweet but we never took it any further than that.

Guess there may be quite a few more uses than just for oat meal or animal feed.

I have already learned a bit here, will keep watching the thread.


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## drfacefixer (Mar 8, 2013)

At my house we almost solely drink oat milk - which is not the same as what you are talking about here. Just wanted to throw it out there that the blending groats with water makes for a fantastic cow milk substitute. Make sure to get your vitamin D from some where else in your diet though. I've never had the option to blend oats up at different stages though. Wish I could say I was a master of the milk, but i'm not.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

drfacefixer said:


> At my house we almost solely drink oat milk - which is not the same as what you are talking about here. Just wanted to throw it out there that the blending groats with water makes for a fantastic cow milk substitute. Make sure to get your vitamin D from some where else in your diet though. I've never had the option to blend oats up at different stages though. Wish I could say I was a master of the milk, but i'm not.


Cool!

:melikey:

A quick search brought up more than a few recipes that I will have to try.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Think we'll hold off on the milky oats this year.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Oats and monsoon weather do not mix ... 

Right now my oat crop pretty well sucks!!!!!!! (What else can I say ???)

I going to wait a few days to mull over the next step ... but it is looking like a "turn under crop" 

Cry...........................................


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Oat does best in cool moist weather, it doesn't handle heat or drought very well at all so I am surprised you are having trouble. I am curious what the problem is, did it wash out or lodge (flatten on the ground)?

Either way sorry to hear that, up here oats is one of our most dependable crops:dunno:


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

Andi,defacefixer,
Almonds chopped up & in water makes a milk, that my fusses family likes.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

cowboyhermit said:


> Oat does best in cool moist weather, it doesn't handle heat or drought very well at all so I am surprised you are having trouble. I am curious what the problem is, did it wash out or lodge (flatten on the ground)?
> 
> Either way sorry to hear that, up here oats is one of our most dependable crops:dunno:


Sorry ... I missed your post. 

They were washed out.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

*Andi said:


> Sorry ... I missed your post.
> 
> They were washed out.


Well that explains it, too bad

crabapple, I know a lot of people are fans of almond milk, it doesn't agree with me very well. I love almonds if they are roasted and I don't eat too many otherwise I don't feel great. A bit too cold up here to grow our own as well if we did we would probably use more.

Oats grow extremely well in our climate, and are healthy imo, the only problem is that they need some processing for human use. We have rollers and all sorts of equipment but it would be nice to have a really simple way to use them as well, like we do with wheat, "kutia":factor10:


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