Groats: More healthy than oats

As I have shared before, I like to go to a little city to shop at an Amish Grocer so that I can buy spices, flour, produce, and especially their cheese.  It is a little store, but I enjoy the homey atmosphere the most . My neighbor and I head down there about once a month to every couple of months.  One day while shopping, I noticed that they had groats on the shelf next to the oats.  I asked my neighbor about it.  She told me that she has been eating them for a long time and that groats are by far better for you than regular oats.  

According to eHow.com :Oat groats are the harvested "as-is" variety of  oats. They are untreated, natural hulled oats. They come straight from the field to the table with no processing in between. They contain high-quality protein, seven B vitamins, calcium, fiber and unsaturated fats.  

 

Groats look like Grapenuts cereal, small, tan, and crunchy. When I read the directions to how to make this I couldn't believe how long it took.  There are as many directions on how to cook the groats as there are streets in a city. Here is what I do: 1 cup of groats. 4 cups of water.  Place both in a medium sized pot. Cover and let soak for an hour or overnight or just cook them right away.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes to an hour.  I like mine a bit crunchy, so I don't cook for the full hour and who has time to in the morning anyway.  Then add milk, butter, cinnamon, honey, or whatever you like.  By the time I am done adding the sugar and butter, it probably isn't that healthy after all.