Brown and wild rice

[balz]

Hi,

I'm a new prepper. I've ordered my mylar bags, o2 absorbers and desiccant, but I'd like to know how can I stack brown rice and wild rice and how much time can it still be good considering a 70 degrees temperature. I know some people say white rice is better for storage, but I really think white rice is empty calorie while brown and wild rice will be better. How much time can I keep brown and wild rice? Thanks

[MikeK]

I don't know about wild rice. But brown rice doesn't store well at all. The oils in it go rancid in short order, even under the best packaging conditions. It'll store ok if kept frozen. But it's not a good long term storage food. The long term storage foods companies don't even offer it. For a reason.

I'm with you on white rice. I think it's a poor choice as the staple grain for food storage. That's why wheat has always been the grain of choice for a lot of folks. Wheat has it's issues, but at least it's a whole grain that stores well. I LOVE rice. But I store less of it than just about any other grain. Barley and wheat are my main staple grains.

Most of the foods the long term storage foods companies have chosen, were chosen specifically because of long storage life. Same with their packaging methods. They have lab tests to prove that they're doing it right. This is why I always suggest doing it exactly like they are doing. It's really easy to do something that "seems like it should work" but doesn't.

[TexSurvivalGuy]

Originally Posted by balz

Hi,

I'm a new prepper. I've ordered my mylar bags, o2 absorbers and desiccant, but I'd like to know how can I stack brown rice and wild rice and how much time can it still be good considering a 70 degrees temperature. I know some people say white rice is better for storage, but I really think white rice is empty calorie while brown and wild rice will be better. How much time can I keep brown and wild rice? Thanks

Balz:

I didn't respond to your first posting about the 8x16 mylar bags, as there seemed to be enough advice and I didn't have anything to add to what was suggested.

Several posters indicated to you in that thread that you should skip the desiccant. You seemed to have an idea that you could wrap it (the desiccant) in foil and it would work better.

In this thread - - you confirm that you received your desiccant (along with the myalr and O2 absorbers). Are you still planning on using them?

As MikeK mentioned to you in this thread - - you might want to consider using the SAME packaging methods used by the big packing houses. They have tried many methods and know what works. They don't use desiccant with rice or grains or beans - - or much for that matter.

Using the right size O2 absorber for the bag, getting a really good seal on it, and storing it in proper conditions will go a long way to providing your food storage years of being good.

Good luck in your preps, and welcome to the network!

[britzen]

I grew up on wild rice, being so prevalent in Northern MN. Being a grass, it doesnt have the fats that brown rice has, and won't go rancid like BR. They say it keeps indefinitely and I found several canning jars (packed dry with no O2 absorbers or anything) at my Moms house she put up at least ten years ago and it cooked up just fine.

If you are new to wild rice, I strongly recommend several water changes and it does tend to stink up the house a bit (though not as much as Lutefisk) so be prepared.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by britzen

I grew up on wild rice, being so prevalent in Northern MN. Being a grass, it doesnt have the fats that brown rice has, and won't go rancid like BR. They say it keeps indefinitely and I found several canning jars (packed dry with no O2 absorbers or anything) at my Moms house she put up at least ten years ago and it cooked up just fine.

If you are new to wild rice, I strongly recommend several water changes and it does tend to stink up the house a bit (though not as much as Lutefisk) so be prepared.

I had heard that it was shelf stable. But didn't want to mention that without more knowledge. Thanks for the heads up on it. I have never eaten much of it, but I've always liked it when I have. I might pick some up for storage.

[britzen]

Originally Posted by MikeK

I had heard that it was shelf stable. But didn't want to mention that without more knowledge. Thanks for the heads up on it. I have never eaten much of it, but I've always liked it when I have. I might pick some up for storage.

If you haven't eaten a lot, or rather "100% wild rice" and not the blends you get, it may be a little strong. There's a popluar casserole with onions, carrots,celery, cream of mushroom soup and bacon or sausage that always converts ney-sayers.

Ive also treated wild rice like bulgur, cooking then drying it to bring backpacking with excellent results. Ive seen parboiled wild rice at some stores as well.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by britzen

If you haven't eaten a lot, or rather "100% wild rice" and not the blends you get, it may be a little strong. There's a popluar casserole with onions, carrots,celery, cream of mushroom soup and bacon or sausage that always converts ney-sayers.

Ive also treated wild rice like bulgur, cooking then drying it to bring backpacking with excellent results. Ive seen parboiled wild rice at some stores as well.

I think I've only ever had pure wild rice one time. I liked it. Mostly, I've had the blends. If I can find it locally, I'm going to pick some up to experiment with. You made me curious about it now. It's not terribly common down south, is probably why I haven't encountered it much.

[PanicFire]

Like Mike said.

Brown rice is bad to store because it goes bad fairly quickly.

[CO-retired]

I bought a 6 gallon pail of Bismatti Brown rice about a year and a half ago and I've gone through about 1/3rd of it so far(I love it!!!)
I was told by the outfit I bought it from that the shelf life was 2-6 years,With this in mind I figured that the bulk of my rice storage would from now on,be Par boiled rice..................Got lots of buckets of it and for diabetics like myself there shouldn't(hopefully)be too many Glucose issues with it.
I love Rice!!! Mama and I go through several cups of it a week!!

[soundchaser]

While white rice does not have much nutritional value, it is an excellent source of carbs.

[The Heretic]

Originally Posted by britzen

If you are new to wild rice, I strongly recommend several water changes and it does tend to stink up the house a bit (though not as much as Lutefisk) so be prepared.

+1

I also suggest you don't cook a lot of it mixed with other rice. It has a tea like aroma and it is very strong in that regard. Once you cook it (it takes longer to cook in my experience), then you can mix it.

When you do mix it, I recommend you mix it about one part wild rice and 5 to ten parts other kinds of rice. Maybe some like it by itself, but I don't - too strong.

As for how long brown rice keeps. I have been eating mostly brown rice as my staple for years and I have yet to have any go rancid on me. I keep it around for a year or more.

You can get parboiled rice and it will keep longer and have much of the nutrition of brown rice.

[Wilson99203]

I love wild rice. No mixing for this crew. A little garlic butter on it....Yumm

[The Heretic]

I've stored brown rice for a year or so in its original bag and it was fine. I would bet that if you put it in a bag with an O2 absorber it would probably be okay.

Wild rice is quite different - it is even a different species - and I think it will store as long as white rice, maybe longer. It also has about twice the nutritional value of even brown rice. The big downside is that wild rice is very expensive. I also suggest you try some - it has a significantly different taste. Mostly it is sold blended with white and brown rice and I suggest you consume it that way unless you really like it by itself.

[Moccasin]

Brown rice, like un-degermed corn meal, stays good longer if you freeze it.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by The Heretic

I've stored brown rice for a year or so in its original bag and it was fine. I would bet that if you put it in a bag with an O2 absorber it would probably be okay.

Mylar and O2 absorbers doesn't really extend it's storage life all that much. Unlike many grains, the oils in brown rice are fragile and not well protected by an airtight shell. You get 2 years or so with mylar. It's not worth trying to store much of it, in my opinion. Freezing works better, but of course requires power and a lot of freezer space.

[txplowgirl]

7 months ago I bought 8 1 pound bags of brown rice and put them in a 2 gallon bucket. I kept them in their original bag and sealed the bucket, no o2 absorbers, no freezing or anything. The last couple of day after seeing a couple of posts wondering about the storage it got my curiosity up.
I opened that bucket this morning and checked on it. Went over all 8 bags and I see no problems whatsoever. Still has the same smell, no discoloration, no bugs.

I'll be getting more brown rice and storing them just like this. I think if it was going to go bad it would have done it by now. Anyway, just my thoughts.

[The Heretic]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Mylar and O2 absorbers doesn't really extend it's storage life all that much. Unlike many grains, the oils in brown rice are fragile and not well protected by an airtight shell. You get 2 years or so with mylar. It's not worth trying to store much of it, in my opinion. Freezing works better, but of course requires power and a lot of freezer space.

The reason oils go rancid is oxidation. Remove the oxygen and you should get a longer storage life. I haven't timed how long I have kept my brown rice around, but I know some of it has been over a year with no sign of spoilage. I usually buy 10 or more pounds at a time.

That said, yes, freezing is best as it basically will keep it indefinitely.

I do know that freezing cooked rice doesn't work well - it turns to mush.

[Roslyn]

I mostly store UB rice (converted Uncle Bens). It has a higher nutritional profile than white rice and stores better than brown.

I have brown rice for storage under a year and UB for long term.

Also, look into other grains, there are a lot out there that you can be growing in a small space, just to keep saving seeds for "just in case".

I am trying Quinoa this year, and probably adding Amaranth next year, and possibly sorghum for the chickens.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by The Heretic

The reason oils go rancid is oxidation. Remove the oxygen and you should get a longer storage life. I haven't timed how long I have kept my brown rice around, but I know some of it has been over a year with no sign of spoilage. I usually buy 10 or more pounds at a time.

That said, yes, freezing is best as it basically will keep it indefinitely.

I do know that freezing cooked rice doesn't work well - it turns to mush.

I think some of the problem is that not all O2 is in gas form. Some becomes soluble in the oil and the food itself. This is why oils can still go rancid even in sealed jars with almost no headspace. You can remove the O2 and there is still rancidity. I'm not a food scientist, so I can't really account for it, only that it happens. And it is a known issue with storing brown rice.

Remember too that we all detect rancidity differently. A few people can detect it at low levels, and some can't detect it at all. Most of us are somewhere between those extremes. I know that as I get older, my ability to detect rancidity is declining also. So age apparently has an effect on it too, at least for some of us.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Roslyn

I mostly store UB rice (converted Uncle Bens). It has a higher nutritional profile than white rice and stores better than brown.

I have brown rice for storage under a year and UB for long term.

Also, look into other grains, there are a lot out there that you can be growing in a small space, just to keep saving seeds for "just in case".

I am trying Quinoa this year, and probably adding Amaranth next year, and possibly sorghum for the chickens.

The converted bran rice is exactly what I would suggest too. It's pretty close in nutrition to brown rice, but it stores like white.

Even white rice isn't a real issue when you consider the number of cultures that use it as their staple grain. They're getting the nutrients that is lacking in white rice, from other foods. Some of those cultures are among the healthiest and longest living people on earth.

My food storage philosophy has always been to research other cultures cuisines, and time periods before modern processed foods. It's a good way to learn a variety of ways to use our staple foods, which helps prevent appetite fatigue and allows for better nutrition.