Otis Eddy Soup & More on Oats!
Otis Eddy Oatmeal Soup
Serves about 4
15 min. prep
- 20 min. cooking
Ingredients:
3 tbs olive oil
1 C oats
5 large tomatoes, halved and
sliced
1/3 C onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 C water, divided
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2 tsp chicken bouillon (low
sodium)
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
1.
Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over
medium-low, heat olive oil. Add the
oats; cook & stir them until toasted.
2.
In a blender or large food processor, combine the
tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1 C of water, & cilantro. Blend until smooth (or
leave a little chunk – that’s how we do), then pour that into the pan w/ the
toasted oats.
3.
Slowly stir in the remaining 2 C of water, &
bring to a boil. Mix in the salt & low sodium chicken bouillon. Cover, &
simmer for 20 minutes. Enjoy hot or warm.
Ottis Eddy
Oatmeal Soup - Garnish can be anything you wish; often a sprig of celery
leaf and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, or fresh herbs goes extremely
well. We have heard some enjoy adding
some form of meat to this meal – particularly sausage.
As always, we suggest local
products to make these recipes. Not only
will it keep money local, but local produce
and shopping local is nutritious community building.
More on Oats...
While
the overall usage of the Oat grain has varied in the last several centuries, it
has been a mainstay for feeding of animals as well as humans in general. Used most often for animal feed, it provides
additional carbohydrate energy.
Consumption by humans is often as a cereal* or within baked goods.
But what is an oat?
The
oat (Avena sativa), is a species of
cereal grain that is grown for its seed.
Oats are an annual plant, and can be planted either the fall (for late summer
harvest) or in the
spring (for
early autumn harvest).
The wild ancestor of the common oat, is the hexaploid wild oat A. sterilis. Evidence in genetics shows the ancestral forms
of A. sterilis grew in the Fertile
Crescent of the Near East – present day area of Iraq. Domesticated oats appear
relatively late, and far from the Near East; interestingly in Bronze Age
Europe. Oats, are typically considered a secondary crop since they are derived
from a weed of the primary cereal domesticates wheat and barley. In time as
these cereals spread westward into cooler and wetter climates, this may have
favored the oat weed, leading to its eventual domestication.
Today, Oats are
generally considered to be a "healthy" food, and are touted as
nutritious. Oft cited is their property
of a cholesterol-lowering effect and has led to an overall acceptance of them
as a health food. With anything however,
moderation is key. Due to their
carbohydrate content, they provide a good source of energy – but be sure to use it!
This property,
along with an array of nutrients and protein, give the oat a well-deserved good
name.
Historical harvest
methods involved cutting with a scythe or sickle, and threshing under the feet
of cattle. Late 19th- and early 20th-century harvesting was performed using a
binder. Oats were gathered into shocks, and then collected and run through a
stationary threshing machine.
Today, harvesting
of the grain is varied based on technology as well as technique. For farmers
seeking the highest yield from their crops, timing their harvest is
essential. When the kernels have reached
35% moisture, or when the greenest kernels are just turning to a cream-color
they are then harvested by swathing (cutting the plants at about 4” above the ground.
The crop is then allowed to dry in the sun for several days. The straw can then
be baled. Also, oats can be left standing
until completely as this causes greater field losses (as the grain falls from
the heads), and to harvesting losses, as the grain is threshed out.
Through threshing
methods and then the milling process there are a number of oat products
utilized today for human consumption.
Livestock aside, the rates of oat used to sustain life has increased in
recent decades in various forms.
For us humans, the
typical forms are rolled or in a flour.
Rolled oats are a result of flaking the grain through wheels or
rolls. This rolled oat is most typically
associated with cereal products such as oatmeal and granola or in baking of cookies,
etc. The size of the flake can vary depending
on the process and desired result.
Another form is
flour; processing the grain directly through a hammer or stone mill. Using a system of screens after pulverizing
the grain, consistency in the product is determined by how fine the grain is
milled into flour. This flour is often
used in breads.
It is little wonder
that there is a specific month of the Oat - Recognition for its healthy support of human
life – either as a food product for us or as fodder for livestock and fuel for
draft animals. Life along the canal
would not have been as successful if it was not for the oat. It provided energy to the horses and mules as
well as a livelihood for farmers throughout the Mohawk
Valley. Oats were (as they are now) a commodity –
canal stores and investors in New York profited from their harvest and most of
all their demand. Crop yields were
noteworthy, and a source of pride for local farmers. The humble oat should be viewed as the grain
that tamed the continent.
_______
*Sometimes oats are
used in drinks. They are sometimes used
for brewing beer – particularly in Britain. Oatmeal stout is a variety that is
brewed using a percentage of oats in the wort.
Also, a cold, sweet drink called avena made of ground oats and milk is popular
as a refreshing beverage throughout Latin America. Oatmeal caudle, which is made
of ale and oatmeal with spices, was a traditional British drink and reportedly
a favorite of the notorious Oliver Cromwell.
**Historic Newspaper
accounts of oat harvests:
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