Keepin' My Babies Warm

Just when you think that Winter's on it's way out, you get another 20 degree night out of left field. I've got babies and mamas galore to keep warm, not to mention my fellow humans.

I'm especially worried about our baby goat and our pregnant does, so I'm whipping up a batch of "goatmeal" for everybody. I've mentioned my magical goatmeal before, but now I have a recipe to share too! My recipe tends to vary, as I use whatever types of grain that I happen to have on hand whenever Jack Frost rears his ugly head. Here is what went into tonight's batch-

1 cup brown rice
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coarsely-ground cornmeal
handful of unsulfured, dried cranberries
2 tbsps unsulfured molasses
2 tbsps flaxseed meal
1/4 tsp of salt

I cooked all of the grains up in about 3 cups +/- of boiling, salted water. You need to cook the brown rice for a good 40-45 minutes before you add the oats and cornmeal, as they really just need to absorb the hot water and don't need to be cooked through like the rice. Let sit covered for about 10 minutes until all or most of the liquid had been absorbed by the grains. My consistency was spot on, even though I sort of winged the amounts based on what I had on hand. You may need to play with amounts to get it to the thickness of your liking.

After everything is cooked up, I stir in the cranberries, molasses and flaxseed meal, and set the goatmeal aside to cool to room temperature or just slightly above room temp. And there you have it - warm, nourishing goodness for your goats (and chickens!) on a bitter cold day.



P.S. - Husbands like it too! :)