The Holy Grail of Local Food

by Clem Nilan, General Manager

My regular breakfast is oatmeal, even in the summer. And I hear from many of our Co-op Members that oatmeal is their favorite as well. While many of us complement oatmeal with Vermont maple syrup, I would go out on a limb and suggest that probably zero of our over 8,000 Members regularly make their oatmeal with Vermont-grown oats. The reason is simple – they have not been available.

Oats grown and processed in Vermont have been the Holy Grail of local food. You remember reading Arthurian legends - the Holy Grail was this wondrous object that the Knights of the Round Table were questing for while getting into other adventures along the way. Despite the fact that oats are among the easiest grains to grow, they haven't appeared on our breakfast tables until now.

As of October, I am very happy to report we will have for sale both steel cut oats and whole grain oats (groats) in our Bulk Department from Butterworks Farm, located in Westfield in the mountains of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Jack Lazor and his wife Anne are the godparents of the Vermont organic dairy movement and founding members of the Northern Grain Growers Association. Butterworks Farm's yogurt is a staple for  many Co-op Members. Jack is one of the most gifted and creative farmers I have ever met. In addition to yogurt, Jack has a keen interest in reestablishing Vermont as a producer of grain. He grows crops of wheat, whole flax and, most recently, oats.

For years Jack and I have dreamed about the possibility of Butterworks Farm growing and processing oats for sale in our Co-op. While relatively easy to grow compared with other grains (such as wheat), oats are complicated and expensive to process. Unlike other grains, once processing begins, the fat contained in oats needs to be stabilized. If not steamed or toasted, these fats will turn rancid. This processing requires specialized equipment and, unfortunately, most of the agricultural processing equipment produced today is scaled for the super large farms of the prairies. For Vermont's small working landscape, it takes magicians like Jack to build his own small-scale oat processing equipment. Sometimes Jack can even find a piece of antique equipment in a barn he will tinker with and get going again.

Jack has 4 tons of oat groats ready to process and still more in the field. He told me that this year's crop is even more beautiful than last year's. Each bushel weighs 41 pounds compared to 38 pounds last year - meaning this year's crop is more dense and nutrient rich. While this seems like a lot of oats, Jack says they will sell out quickly due to a high demand for Vermont oats.

Jack offers some suggestions on cooking. Steel cut oats take longer to cook but are very similar to rolled oats.  The texture of steel cut oats is just a bit chewier. Groats are probably unfamiliar as a breakfast cereal to most Co-op Members. Jack strongly suggests taking the extra time to prepare groats for breakfast and the secret is to start the night before. Place the groats in a pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Jack suggests adding some whey if you have it (he suggests draining a little of the liquid off the top of your yogurt).  Bring the mixture to a boil. Take it off the heat and let sit overnight. The next morning, put the pot back on the stove and cook for 20 minutes, adding more water if needed.

Jack will be sampling Butterworks Farm's yogurts and answering questions about his farm at our annual Harvest Celebration in the big tent at the Co-op this Saturday, October 7 from 12noon to 4p.m. Hope to see you there!