When many of us hear the term "DIY" we think of home improvement projects and the like. So with food, I'm going to refer on this blog to some key staples which are more often bought at the grocer rather than created at home as... "MIY" - i.e., Make It Yourself.
So many things out there are a TON easier to make yourself in the kitchen than one might think...and with that, far healthier and way less expensive. If it's not a Whole food, like produce or grains or meat, there's a good chance you can make it in your own kitchen. We have tried the gamut in our home over the years, from condiments to breads to cured meats to cheese to beer to pasta to liqueurs...and so much more!
For this first MIY Saturday post, I'm sharing something that is one of THE easiest things to make on your own: organic oat milk.
If you pay attention at the grocery store, the majority of oat milk being sold is NOT organic - nor is the stuff at your coffeeshop. The Environmental Working Group reports
"Despite testing foods for more than 500 pesticides, the USDA does not include glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the U.S. Research by EWG and other advocacy groups has highlighted the pervasive contamination of our food supply with glyphosate, a chemical associated with an elevated risk of cancer. EWG’s own tests detected the toxic pesticide in more than 95 percent of the samples of oat-based products, including children’s cereals."
It's literally just oats and water, y'all...with none of the preservatives, thickeners, stabilizers and other things that are just not needed. Depending on how 'oaty' you want it, toss 1/2 to 1 cup of organic oats into a blender with 4 cups of water, blend it for no more than 15-20 seconds, and pour it through cheesecloth into a jar. Oh, and if you don't have cheesecloth, by the way, pour through a very fine sieve several times. That's it! Keep it in the fridge and then shake before pouring. I use it in almost all of my cooking. Note - you can also add a little vanilla or sweetener if you don't go for unsweetened. I don't drink milk by the glass, but it's not bad in chai!
PS - I've found our chickens in the past as well as my dog (who learned by watching them, LOL...) love to finish up the leftover oats after making this...so nothing literally gets wasted!