Organic rice is free of pesticides and herbicides and is the best choice for your family
Though widely grown as a commercial crop, rice is difficult to grow in the home landscape -- though not impossible with a little perseverance. Rice grows best in wet, warm climates where it will have enough time to ripen. Some home gardeners grow rice in pots, which are easier to flood and simulate paddy conditions. Rice takes at least three or four months to ripen and become ready for harvest. Harvesting is easy, though a little time consuming. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Drain your paddy or pots The rice should be nodding in the paddy or container and the heads should be golden brown. This lets you know the rice is ready to harvest. Let the plants dry out for at least a week.
2. Cut the heads off the rice plants. Place the heads on a tarp out in the sun to dry out for a day. Place the heads on a cookie sheet and bake in a low 180 degree F oven for one hour. Let the heads cool at room temperature.
3. Put a few heads at a time in the sieve or winnower and toss them into the air. Do this outside were the wind will catch the chaff and carry it away. The weight of the rice grains should keep them in the bottom of the strainer.
4. Pick the rice out from the bottom of the strainer and put it in the rice sheller. The rollers may be electric or hand crank. Operate as the instructions indicate until all the rice has been hulled. You now have organic brown rice. Further processing is needed to remove the bran if you want white rice. Store the rice in an air-tight canister.
Tags: bottom strainer, Place heads, ready harvest