Growing Rice

Enlarge Image Image Gallery “Homegrown Whole Grains” will tell you how to convert part of your yard into a productive and beautiful field of grains, including barley, buckwheat, oats, wheat, rice, quinoa and more. STOREY PUBLISHING

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The following is an excerpt from Homegrown Whole Grains by Sara Pitzer (Storey, 2009). The excerpt is from Chapter 8: Rice.

Undoubtedly, rice is the most important grain in the world. Billions of people depend on it for sustenance. Growing it in the backyard, though, is challenging — but not impossible.

You’ll have the best luck with it if you live in the South (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida or southern Missouri) or in California, which are areas where you can count on a long, warm growing season.

You can try your hand with rice no matter where you live by planting small amounts in plastic buckets and setting them in a sunny spot outside or indoors under lights. You won’t harvest enough rice to make a meal unless you plant many, many buckets, but this is a terrific way to learn and understand the steps that go into producing a rice crop. Have your children join in, and in the end, you’ll all understand why Asian cultures avoid dishonoring the farmer by never wasting a single grain of rice.

Botanical name: Oryza sativa 
Season: Warm
Grain yield: 10 pounds per 100 square feet
Site: Full sun; warm temperatures; fertile, poorly drained soil
Days to harvest: 90 to 180
Gluten: No
Special consideration: Needs at least 40 continuous days with temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit

Types of Rice

Rice originated in dry areas, and over the years it has adapted to differing ecosystems.

Paddy or irrigated rice. Paddy rice grows where the farmer is able to control the water, pumping it in and out as needed over the growing season. Usually levees or berms (mounds of soil) are built around the growing area, which is kept flooded.

Deep-water rice. This type grows near rivers and other bodies of water. The farmer takes advantage of the natural rising and falling water levels but has no control over them. The rice must be able to tolerate periods of drought as well as flood.

Rain-fed lowland rice. In monsoonal regions, lowland farmers build levees around their fields to capture and hold the rain.

Upland rice. Upland rice will grow without flooding as long as the soil is kept moist. Typically, it is planted in areas with frequent rains. It may be grown in low-lying areas, on slopes, and even in drought-prone regions where irrigation water is readily available. Upland rice will be the best type for most people’s backyard crop.

In addition to ecological types of rice, there are varieties that have a long, medium or short grain, and ones with different textures and flavors, including sweet (also called glutinous), aromatic and arborio rices. You can use any of these types pretty much interchangeably in recipes, but you may be surprised at the differences in taste and texture among them.

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HOMEGROWN WHOLE GRAINS'

Sara Pitzer

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