4 Responses to “Welcome to the new Grass Valley Grains blog!”

1. cooking instructions? says:

   July 2, 2010 at 2:23 pm

   Hi! I purchased a bag of your Scottish pinhead oatmeal last weekend at the Nevada City Farmer’s Market and wondered if you could give cooking instructions (oats:water ratio and cooking time)? Thanks in advance! I am looking forward to trying it.
2. Mark Vance says:

   August 22, 2010 at 5:41 am

   Hey Reed, Nice to see you up and running with your GVG website!
   I need to procure some of your fabulous flour for bread, pizza and pie crust!
3. Reed Hamilton says:

   October 5, 2010 at 2:59 am

   Obviously, I’m better at the farming than the digital communications side. Sorry to be almost 3 months late responding to the request for recipes.

   1 1/2 Cups Pinhead Oatmeal
   3 1/2 Cups Water (or alternatives as above)
   Generous pinch of Salt
   Directions
   Put water in heavy bottomed pan and bring to the boil on high heat.
   Reduce to medium heat and sprinkle oats on top and stir into water – (doing it this way helps reduce the risk of your porridge getting lumpy). As most people don’t have a Spirtle, using a wooden spoon works just fine! Bring back to the boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.
   Then reduce to low heat, cover with lid and let simmer for around 20 – 30 minutes. Add salt and stir into porridge about half-way through. And don’t forget to stir the porridge every few minutes to stop it sticking and prevent lumps. Although tradition says only stir clockwise, stirring in both directions does have advantages in the ‘de-lumping’ process.
   In this porridge recipe, the cooking time can be varied a bit, depending on how thick and creamy you want your porridge to be.
   Shorter cooking time will make for a thinner porridge with a more chewy texture. Longer cooking will make a thicker, creamier dish. Don’t overdo it though, or you’ll end up with a very ‘stodgy’ meal.
   I like my porridge thin enough that it pours slowly from the pan, definitely not watery or ‘gruel’ like. You can sprinkle a little more salt on top if you like (and you don’t have high blood pressure or a controlled diet). The either pour cold milk, or cream, on top to taste.
   If you want the whole Scottish experience, try pouring cream into a separate bowl and dip your spoonfuls of porridge into it one at a time. It’ll take longer that way, but is really good!
   Useful Tips:

   Porridge has a tendency to become ‘lumpy’ very easily, make sure that you stir often enough, and thoroughly enough to prevent that.
   Adding the salt too early (some porridge recipes suggest putting all ingredients in the pot at the same time) can make the oats hard/tough.
   A heavy stainless-steel pot would be my first choice, but a good quality non-stick is okay if that’s all you have.

   And, Mark, a belated hello.

   We’ll try to pay attention to these posts better in the future.
4. Tommy says:

   April 7, 2011 at 7:26 pm

   I besides think hence , perfectly pent post! .