how to harvest oats?

Most of human calorie consumption comes from grains rather than fruits, vegetables, or meats (carnivorous foeclan excepted, of course).  I read an article this morning about how improvements in processing and delivery of grains could make a huge impact on energy needs.
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/49495

Earlier this year, I experimented with a few grains. I threw out oats, quinoa, barley, and rice. I sowed them in a narrow space available between parked vehicles (photo on right).

I wasn't sure where to get seeds that would sprout, so I just tried bulk stuff from the grocery store. Only the oats came up. I'm guessing the others are heated or otherwise processed for eventual human consumption in a way that keeps them from germinating. I need to find a place online that will ship very small quantities of seeds for growing. Anyone have ideas? I'm wondering if there's enough of a growing season left for me to get a second crop of oats this year too. I tossed out another batch of seeds this morning. We'll see if they produce before frost arrives.

Also, I'm curious how to harvest oats. I've plucked a few seeds from plants and torn off the hulls. Eating them one at a time is rather unsatisfying. So how do I prepare a whole bowl full at once? Do I tear off the heads and keep them somewhere safe from birds and squirrels while they continue to dry out?  Then is it easy to just shake off the hull?  Are the oats cooked as breakfast cereal just whole oats pounded flat?  City boy doesn't know, so he's asking questions.  :)

Just to show it off, here is a photo (on left) of the thyme that's been blooming in one of the garden spots. It's been flowering continuously for weeks now. Very pretty. It works really well with the strawberry, which can reach taller than the thyme to get plenty of its own sunlight. I like this combination. I'll do more of it next year.