I heard on the news this morning that the snow level this weekend may get down to 5000 feet. That means there is a possibility the Quad Cities could be experiencing some snowfall. I think we’ll all be glad to finally see some moisture! And with the weather change, we are starting to recommend our Fall and Winter seasonal allergy honey, Prescott Wildflower.
As the cold weather sets in, I always think of fixing soups with a lot of vegetables and rice and/or beans to take the chill off. I also like to make chili with meat and beans. With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to the vast variety of rice that is available at The Honeyman stores.
I didn’t realize there were so many types of rice or beans available until I came to work at The Honeyman. I will confess I have not tried all of the varieties myself, but I’m willing to venture out as I find out more information about all them.
So let’s get started with the rice. We all know about white rice and brown rice; however, even the variety of whites and browns are many. We also carry red, black and blended rice varieties. This is just an over-view of some of the rice we carry and a brief description of them.
White varieties include: Arborio (a starchy short grain used to make risotto, firm, creamy, and chewy), Basmati white (it’s grains are long and slender; nutty flavor, aromatic), Jasmine white (fragrant long grain rice, moist, slightly sweet), Sushi (short grain, plump, sticky firm texture), Sona Masoori (an indian white rice, lightweight, aromatic medium grain).
Brown varieties in-clude: Brown Jasmine (firm, fragrant with nutty taste), Short grain brown (much like sushi, is a sticky rice), Brown Basmati (fluffy texture; nutty,earthy flavor, good for stir fry), Medium Grain Brown Rice (hearty,chewy texture; rich, nutty flavor),
Blended and colored rices: Wild Blend Rice (a mixture of black, red, brown and wild rices; col-orful and savory), Black Japonica (blend of short grain black and medium grain mahogany; slightly nutty, almost mushroomy flavor with subtle, sweet spiciness), Forbidden Black China Rice (medium, non-glutinous heirloom rice; nutty, slightly sweet flavor; deep purple hue), Jade Pearl (short grain rice infused with bamboo ex-tract; also known as Bam-boo rice), Himalayan Red (rich, slightly sweet com-plex flavor, firm texture), Madagascar Pink (subtly sweet flavor, aromatic of cinnamon, clove and nut-meg, a soft supple rice), Purple Sticky (a glutinous rice; naturally sweet flavor and chewy texture), Volca-no Rice (a blend for brown and red heirloom rice, hint of vanilla flavor and moist and tender grains), Saffron Rice (a sweet, floral taste also described as earthy and complex), Wild Rice (actually not r a grain, but an aquatic grass; referred to as a rice because it looks and cooks like a rice).
If you haven’t tried or heard of some of these varieties, I hope you look at the rice section next time you’re in and pick up a new flavor of rice! Next article we’ll explore the variety of beans, lentils and pea products that we carry.
Submitted by Honeyman