Robby, I'm reasonably sure that you're right about it being a Crocosmia Lucifer - there are some planted there - and it was probably July when I took the picture - they certainly aren't in flower now! There are some Kaffir Lilies (Schizostylis coccinea) planted there too. They have similar leaves, but they flower later and aren't quite such a blood-red. They flower for longer though - there are some in our garden still in flower!

Love Love steel cut oats! Just recently found the recipe below and it is very good. But for a change of pace I have adapted it to just baking plain in the oven. This is what I do. In my oval 3 qt Le Cruset pan, I add 2 cups of oats, 2 cups milk (skim is what I use), 2 1/2 cups water, stir together, put the lid on, pop into 375 oven for about 35-40 minutes. I then put in individual serving containers and store in fridge, each morning I just pop into microwave for a couple of minutes, and eat with Trader Joe's Pumpkin or Fig butter. Very good! Cooking it plain allows for adding whatever I am in the mood for each day....milk, syrup, honey, brown sugar, fruit. Link to where I found recipe is below. Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal serves 4 to 6 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats 1 cup pumpkin or squash puree 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 2 cups milk 2 1/2 cups warm water 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt Heat the oven to 375�F. In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. (Your burner shouldn't be on at full blast, but the butter should melt quickly.) When the butter foams up, stir in the oats and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until they smell toasted. Push the oats up against the side of the pan, and drop the second tablespoon of butter in the now clear center of the pan. Dump in the pumpkin puree. Fry it in the butter, only stirring after about a minute. Stir in the sugar and spices and continue frying the puree for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the color darkens slightly and the raw smell disappears. It's OK if a few dark brown spots appear as the puree sticks to the pan. Pour in the milk and whisk everything to combine. Whisk in the water, vanilla and salt. Put a lid on the pan and put it in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, and carefully lift the lid (be cautious as steam will billow out). Stir the oatmeal. It will look quite loose still, but the oats should be al dente and tender. The oatmeal will thicken rapidly as it cools. Eat immediately with a drizzle of cream or milk and maple syrup, or let cool and then refrigerate. Heat up bowls in the microwave or on the stovetop. � Slow Cooker Method: I have not tested this recipe in the slow cooker, so any experimentation is just that � experimentation! However, given my other experiences with slow cooker steel cut oats, I do believe that this would translate just fine to the slow cooker. Follow the stovetop steps, then transfer the toasted oats and pumpkin to a slow cooker. Whisk in the milk, water, vanilla, and salt, cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight. Adapted from the baked steel cut oatmeal in my book on healthier, fresher casseroles: Not Your Mother's Casseroles. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-pu-159872

Here's one healthy diet recipe which I've posted before which uses oat bran as well as All-Bran and applesauce. This is part of a Glycemic Index weight-loss diet. They're in the green light - go ahead zone of Rick Gallops' glycemic index list of breakfast or snack foods for those who are trying to keep their sugar and insulin levels down. I made these for many months last year and ate them in place of bread, and will be making them again in the next days. They're delicious! I also freeze them, 3 to a small ziplok bag and take them out of the freezer the night before I need, leaving them in the fridge to defost until the morning. Light & diet friendly Ingredients: 3/4 cup All-Bran cereal 1 cup skim milk 2/3 cup whole wheat flour Sweetener - equivalent to 1/3 cup sugar 2 teasp baking powder 1/2 teasp baking soda 1/4 teasp salt 1 teasp allspice 1/2 teasp cloves 1 1/2 cups 2/3 cup raisins 1 large apple peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes 1 low-cholesterol (omega-3) egg, lightly beaten 2 teasp vegetable oil 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1. Mix the All-Bran and skim milk in a bowl and let stand for a few minutes. 2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir in the oat bran, raisins and apple. 3. In a small bowl, combine the egg, vegetable oil and applesauce. Stir, along with the All-Bran mixture, into the dry ingredients. 4. Spoon the mixture into an oil-sprayed 12-muffin tray. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Source: The Glycemic Index Diet Rick Gallop ©2002 Random House Canada My Notes: You may have to find the oat bran in a diet or health food store I used fructose for the sweetener but for anyone on a strict no-sugar diet use the artificial sweetener of your choice. Otherwise non-dieters use granulated white sugar. The mixture is thick and dry-ish. Keep stirring until all is well mixed and don't think you made a mistake in the amount of milk. SharonCb

Are those the correct type of oats to make oatmeal raisin cookies? Aren't they quick-cooking steel-cut oats, not rolled oats? Since it's been vacuum-sealed and if it was stored at room-temperature (which is considered 70°F), or cooler, you can store them for several years and still use them. It's the elimination of oxygen that lengthens the shelf-life, as well as the storage temperature. -Grainlady