Questions About Rice – Lundberg Family Farms

Do I need to rinse your rice?

We do recommend lightly rinsing the rice for 1-2 minutes.

We chose to include this step on our new packaging because we found that it is a better eating experience because it removes some of the starch. This can make fluffier rice once cooked.

There isn't anything besides starch that you would be rinsing off, so it isn't completely necessary.

Feel free to check out these articles that go into this in more depth:

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/3946-do-you-really-need-to-rinse-your-rice

https://www.marthastewart.com/8161974/why-wash-rice-before-cooking

Do I need to rinse the risotto rice? Do I need to rinse the entree rice?

The rice for our risottos benefits from surface starch, it helps achieve a creamy finished product with our cooking method.

The entrée rice doesn’t need to be rinsed as it’s parboiled, so most of the surface starch has already been removed.

What is the difference between brown and white rice?

All rice is brown (or another color such as Red, Black, or Purple) at first– it is the milling process that determines whether rice is brown or white. When it comes to white rice, the husk, germ and bran are removed in the milling process. In contrast, only the husk is removed when producing brown rice– the whole grain, including the bran and germ, is left intact. Rice that is to be milled for white rice is harvested earlier than rice that is to remain brown. An earlier harvest ensures that the rice has a higher moisture content which reduces breakage during milling. At Lundberg Family Farms, we grow a majority of our rice for brown rice production. Because of this, we allow our rice to mature in the fields for a longer period of time to increase its flavor and improve its appearance. Brown rice is whole grain and contains significant amounts of B vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. To learn more about whole grains and the health benefits of eating brown rice, visit the Whole Grains Council website.

Why am I seeing green kernels rice? Are they safe to eat?

Green kernels are natural and expected to occur. When a crop of rice is ready for harvest, any given stalk will contain a certain amount of green kernels. These green kernels are slightly less mature than the brown kernels. Very immature kernels that are smaller in size, are filtered out during our cleaning and husking process.

The full-sized green kernels are allowed to remain, since they have been analyzed and determined to be nutritionally developed. Over time, the green kernels will change to the color you are familiar with.

Why is this package a lighter/ darker color than the last package I bought?

Color variation is normal in the aging of rice.

As the product is a raw agricultural commodity, the color will vary year over year due to the growing conditions (number of heat days, vs rain days). The rice also ages over time.

The lighter color may have matured faster in the field, or may be new rice crop.

How does Lundberg's Basmati differ from traditional basmati?

The variety of basmati we grow and package is indeed a basmati rice. The fragrant aroma and taste is very subtle in our basmati compared to other types. It is different than many others on the market, probably because it was developed to grow in the California climate, which is different than other climates where basmati is traditionally grown. This could very well be the reason for the different qualities you are seeing.

We greatly appreciate the feedback you have provided and I will pass this onto our team here at Lundberg Family Farms.

Do you still sell Wehani Rice or Christmas Rice and is it the same as Red Jasmine?

We still sell our Wehani Rice (AKA Christmas Rice), however, we have changed the name to “California Red Jasmine”. It is the same product, just in a different bag with a different name. We sell it in individual bags and here is a link to the product page on our site: https://shop.lundberg.com/collections/rice-quinoa/products/organic-california-red-jasmine-rice

It was a marketing decision to move forward with the name change.

How can I get rice from your recent harvest?

Generally, the rice that is currently being packaged and shipped is from our most recent harvest, which is from the previous fall.

Since every store and distributor goes through rice at a different rate, it is hard to know who is currently selling rice that is the most recent harvest.

Is the Organic Black Pearl similar to forbidden rice?

True Forbidden Rice is grown exclusively in Asia. Our Black Pearl Rice and Black Japonica Rice is very similar in taste, texture and nutrition, but it is grown in Northern California.

The weight of this rice is less than before. Normally a 1 lb bag is 454 g, but this one is only 450. Why?

The rice is measured by weight, not volume, as it is packaged. It will be somewhere around 1 lb, but it can't be exactly accurate. This is why it may be above or below 454 g.

How does the weight of the bag differ from the Nutritional Facts Panel serving size?

Our rice is packaged per weight, not volume, so a 32 ounce bag will have around 2 lbs or 907 g of rice in it.

Our Nutrition Facts data is also measured in weight, not volume, so the math isn't exactly equivalent when you measure in cups, which is volume.

1 bag of rice is 907 g each and a serving size is 45 g (according to the FDA).

907 g divided by 45 g is 20.15 and that is rounded down to 20 servings per bag.

Can I sprout your rice?

Our team has confirmed that it is possible to sprout our brown, red and black, whole grain rice because the germ is still intact.

Beyond the knowledge that our rice is sproutable, our team doesn’t have any tips or tricks to get our rice to sprout. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Can I compost rice?

Both cooked and uncooked rice will break down if they are added to compost piles in small increments, over time. If too much rice is added to an entire pile at once, it will attract rodents, pests, and harmful bacteria.

Feel free to check out this blog post if you are wanting to compost: https://lomi.com/blogs/news/can-you-compost-rice