Steel Cut Oats

We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food. That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before. dkw

" wrote:

We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food.

Fifty pounds. I've never even bought beans in such large bags.

That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...

Grain is not good for dogs. Humans evolved from fruit eaters to
omnivores. Dogs evolved from meat eaters to omnivores. Neither
has completed that evolutionary path. If you're going to dump it,
dump it one one of the other types of animals.

no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before.

I've gotten steel cut oats from a bulk store, but my household goes
through it far more slowly than yours. My wife likes it weekly, I
like it monthly. I figure the way you did it is likely the way the
store did it.

On Feb 8, 9:28*am, Doug Freyburger wrote:
" wrote:

We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food.

Fifty pounds. *I've never even bought beans in such large bags.

That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...

Grain is not good for dogs. *Humans evolved from fruit eaters to
omnivores. *Dogs evolved from meat eaters to omnivores. *Neither
has completed that evolutionary path. *If you're going to dump it,
dump it one one of the other types of animals.

no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before.

I've gotten steel cut oats from a bulk store, but my household goes
through it far more slowly than yours. *My wife likes it weekly, I
like it monthly. *I figure the way you did it is likely the way the
store did it.

I haven't seen oats packaged that way, but I've seen 50 pounds of rice
a couple of times in grocery stores. 50 lb. bags seems to be the max.
weight. I suppose a strong person can load and unload those from
pallets, not to mention the UPS people handling it.

You could be right about grains not being good for dogs, but there are
lots of opionions otherwise from experts. Most dog food does contain
grains of some kind, and a few formulas are vegetarian. It wouldn't be
all that natural for a dog for sure, but I have read where they do eat
plants in the wild, mostly by eating the stomach contents of
herbivores. It is amazing how widely the opinions are on what
constitutes a good diet for dogs. It's every bit as controversial as
what is good for humans. Chinese poison doesn't appear to help the
quality of either though.

Owning a farm, I can tell you that the largest cost of grain either
wholesale or retail is the packaging, handling and selling (profit) of
all the people past the farmer but not what the farmer gets if they
even show a profit. It costs a farmer about $2.50 a bushel to grow
oats, and he/she gets only slightly more than that to harvest it. A
bushel of oats weighs 32 pounds. dkw

" wrote:

I haven't seen oats packaged that way, but I've seen 50 pounds of rice
a couple of times in grocery stores. 50 lb. bags seems to be the max.
weight. I suppose a strong person can load and unload those from
pallets, not to mention the UPS people handling it.

I lug 40 and 50 pounds of salt for the driveway ice so 50 pounds
does seem to be the limit. I've also seen 50 pound sacks of
flour for use by professional bakers. The only bulk oats I've seen
have been in the bins at health food stores and by the truckload
at farms for planting. As a kid with family in dairy country I saw
a lot more feed corn and clover planted than anything else but I
have seen a few fields of oats planted.

You could be right about grains not being good for dogs, but there are
lots of opionions otherwise from experts. Most dog food does contain
grains of some kind,

The trouble is those experts often work for the dog food
companies selling dog food so they have financial pressure
to favor cheap grain. I'd rather ask a veterinarian who's more
interested in prevention without the bias. My brother's a
veterinarian and he eventually ended up selling Nutro Max
at his clinic because it's the lowest in grain content among
the many available brands. That still does give him a
financial bias, though.

and a few formulas are vegetarian.

Easily dismissed as a boutique product for brain damaged
PETA idiots who think there is such a thing as a vegitarian
dog if they manage to feed their dog vegitarian food. There
is no such thing as a vegitarian dog and I think attempting
to make a dog vegitarian counts as abuse. Cats will go
blind if forced to eat vegitarian chow - They aren't as evolved
toward omnivores as dogs are.

It wouldn't be all that natural for a dog for sure,

Dogs being the second most domesticated animal type after
humans, what is natural for them isn't something that can
be determined easily.

but I have read where they do eat
plants in the wild, mostly by eating the stomach contents of
herbivores.

This suggests that they are closer to carnivores than many
humans think - Dogs gone wild do figure out their own food
without human help. But dogs do well with a significant amount
of plant matter mixed into their diets - Dogs have had a while
to evolve to eating table scraps.

Is there such a thing as "humans gone wild"? And if so what
do they eat? The closest approximation is still fat from wild -
hunter gatherer societies. They tend to eat anything up to
and including rocks. Well, maybe not rocks but certainly
stuff I'd never think of as food.

It is amazing how widely the opinions are on what
constitutes a good diet for dogs. It's every bit as controversial as
what is good for humans.

Both are domesticated so much that "natural" doesn't make
sense for them.

Chinese poison doesn't appear to help the
quality of either though.

And how.

Owning a farm, I can tell you that the largest cost of grain either
wholesale or retail is the packaging, handling and selling (profit) of
all the people past the farmer but not what the farmer gets if they
even show a profit. It costs a farmer about $2.50 a bushel to grow
oats, and he/she gets only slightly more than that to harvest it. A
bushel of oats weighs 32 pounds.

I know that diary farming is a very low profit percentage business
so I can imagine that grain farming is even lower.

On Fri, 8 Feb 2008 12:58:31 -0800 (PST), Doug Freyburger
wrote:

" wrote:

You could be right about grains not being good for dogs, but there are
lots of opionions otherwise from experts. Most dog food does contain
grains of some kind,

The trouble is those experts often work for the dog food
companies selling dog food so they have financial pressure
to favor cheap grain. I'd rather ask a veterinarian who's more
interested in prevention without the bias. My brother's a
veterinarian and he eventually ended up selling Nutro Max
at his clinic because it's the lowest in grain content among
the many available brands. That still does give him a
financial bias, though.

and a few formulas are vegetarian.

Easily dismissed as a boutique product for brain damaged
PETA idiots who think there is such a thing as a vegitarian
dog if they manage to feed their dog vegitarian food. There
is no such thing as a vegitarian dog and I think attempting
to make a dog vegitarian counts as abuse.

In dkw's defense, sometimes a dog needs a low-protein diet. When my
lab, Blackie, got sick last fall, she ended up in liver failure. The
vet said protein was hard on her liver, and to feed her either a
commercial vegetarian formula or make stuff myself. I ended up making
her food from rice, mashed up boiled vegetables, fat, and a tiny bit
of cooked ground beef for flavour.

She's fine now, and back on mainly kibble, but holy ****, does she
ever like it when I cook up stuff special for her.

Jo Anne

wrote:
We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food. That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before. dkw
I buy them from the local food coop. I think they charge 69c/lb,
similar to what they charge for the various types of rolled oats.

del

wrote:
On Feb 8, 9:28 am, Doug Freyburger wrote:
" wrote:

We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food.
Fifty pounds. I've never even bought beans in such large bags.

That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...
Grain is not good for dogs. Humans evolved from fruit eaters to
omnivores. Dogs evolved from meat eaters to omnivores. Neither
has completed that evolutionary path. If you're going to dump it,
dump it one one of the other types of animals.

no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before.
I've gotten steel cut oats from a bulk store, but my household goes
through it far more slowly than yours. My wife likes it weekly, I
like it monthly. I figure the way you did it is likely the way the
store did it.

I haven't seen oats packaged that way, but I've seen 50 pounds of rice
a couple of times in grocery stores. 50 lb. bags seems to be the max.
weight. I suppose a strong person can load and unload those from
pallets, not to mention the UPS people handling it.

You could be right about grains not being good for dogs, but there are
lots of opionions otherwise from experts. Most dog food does contain
grains of some kind, and a few formulas are vegetarian. It wouldn't be
all that natural for a dog for sure, but I have read where they do eat
plants in the wild, mostly by eating the stomach contents of
herbivores. It is amazing how widely the opinions are on what
constitutes a good diet for dogs. It's every bit as controversial as
what is good for humans. Chinese poison doesn't appear to help the
quality of either though.

Owning a farm, I can tell you that the largest cost of grain either
wholesale or retail is the packaging, handling and selling (profit) of
all the people past the farmer but not what the farmer gets if they
even show a profit. It costs a farmer about $2.50 a bushel to grow
oats, and he/she gets only slightly more than that to harvest it. A
bushel of oats weighs 32 pounds. dkw

About 3.25 to 3.50 a bushel for oats at the moment

Originally Posted by

We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food. That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before. dkw

In the next few days I am going to order a 50 lb. bag or organic steel cut oats from naturalgrocers.com for $28.44 not including shipping.

I've never purchased anything from them previously so I can't say what they are like, but if you are interested I'll let you know how the transaction goes and how much it costs me for shipping.

I hadn't thought to ask what country the product is from, but I will do that. Since it is certified organic, I would assume they are grown in the U.S. The U.S. and Canada grow most of the world's oats from what I've read.

I buy bulk as often as possible and then re-seal in smaller bags using a food sealer to keep it fresh. It's worked great so far.

-----------------------------------------------
"Appreciate me now...and avoid the rush!"

On Feb 8, 3:19*pm, Jo Anne wrote:
On Fri, 8 Feb 2008 12:58:31 -0800 (PST), Doug Freyburger





wrote:
" wrote:
You could be right about grains not being good for dogs, but there are
lots of opionions otherwise from experts. Most dog food does contain
grains of some kind,

The trouble is those experts often work for the dog food
companies selling dog food so they have financial pressure
to favor cheap grain. *I'd rather ask a veterinarian who's more
interested in prevention without the bias. *My brother's a
veterinarian and he eventually ended up selling Nutro Max
at his clinic because it's the lowest in grain content among
the many available brands. *That still does give him a
financial bias, though.

and a few formulas are vegetarian.

Easily dismissed as a boutique product for brain damaged
PETA idiots who think there is such a thing as a vegitarian
dog if they manage to feed their dog vegitarian food. *There
is no such thing as a vegitarian dog and I think attempting
to make a dog vegitarian counts as abuse.

In dkw's defense, sometimes a dog needs a low-protein diet. When my
lab, Blackie, got sick last fall, she ended up in liver failure. The
vet said protein was hard on her liver, and to feed her either a
commercial vegetarian formula or make stuff myself. I ended up making
her food from rice, mashed up boiled vegetables, fat, and a tiny bit
of cooked ground beef for flavour.

She's fine now, and back on mainly kibble, but holy ****, does she
ever like it when I cook up stuff special for her.

Jo Anne- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Even though I am vegetarian, my daughter is not and my dog is
certainly not. I feed the Border Collie 2-4 egg yolks a day in
addition to kibble, which works out since I only eat egg whites. There
certainly are a lot of fat dogs and I imagine they would tend to eat
less of a vegetarian formula than something with animal protein. The
thing is, I want to live a long time, so I my thinking is that a
vegetarian diet might be healthier, buy I have no opionions about dog
diets. I think Doug may be right about people who choose vegetarian
diets for their dogs and cats being vegetarian and most likely vegan
and PETA folks. Still, it does seem to be a choice, and I wouldn't
expect a dog would suffer from nutritional problems eating a
vegetarian diet.

While living in an Alaska village a while back, I inherited some
slightly gamey Moose meat that my Fish and Wildlife neighbor had found
abandoned (probably just shot, but couldn't be gotten out by the
hunter because of it's remote location? They never knew for sure).
Anyway, it was still fine, even for human consumption, but there
weren't any takers, so I boned it, froze it in about 2 pound packs,
labelled it carefully as DOG FOOD, then, would boil it a few minutes
before feeding it to my shepherd mix dog along with his kibble. He did
very nicely and was heartbroken when I finally ran out. Finally,
because it lasted two years. Moose are HUGE. dkw

On Feb 8, 7:26*pm, EastTXisGr8
wrote:
;406492 Wrote:

We had a discussion a few months ago about steel cut oats, and after
buying them on-sale for $2.56 for 24 oz. (Bob's Red Mill brand) when I
could...otherwise they are $2.89 a package plus tax, I finally decided
to buy them in bulk and ordered 50 pounds for $53 (including shipping,
no tax) online at Honeyville Food. That price puts them at $1.66 for
24 oz. I just hope they aren't from China, or I might just feed them
to my dog...no wait! Since I use 6-7 servings of oats a day, the 50
pounds should last about 3 months. If anyone else buys bulk grains,
what co. do you like. I've never done this before. dkw

In the next few days I am going to order a 50 lb. bag or organic steel
cut oats from naturalgrocers.com for $28.44 not including shipping.

I've never purchased anything from them previously so I can't say what
they are like, but if you are interested I'll let you know how the
transaction goes and how much it costs me for shipping.

I hadn't thought to ask what country the product is from, but I will do
that. Since it is certified organic, I would assume they are grown in
the U.S. *The U.S. and Canada grow most of the world's oats from what
I've read.

I buy bulk as often as possible and then re-seal in smaller bags using
a food sealer to keep it fresh. It's worked great so far.

-----------------------------------------------
"Appreciate me now...and avoid the rush!"

--
EastTXis